Summer McIntosh Breaks Katie Ledecky’s U.S. Open Meet Record in 400 Free (3:59.42)

By Riley Overend on SwimSwam

2023 U.S. OPEN SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• November 29-December 2, 2023
• Greensboro Aquatic Center, Greensboro, North Carolina
• Long Course Meters (50 meters)
• Start Times
  • Prelims: 9 AM (ET)
  • Finals: 6 PM (ET)
• Psych Sheets
• Live Results
• Live Stream Info
• Day 1 Finals Recap
• Day 2 Prelims Recap | Day 2 Finals Recap
• Day 2 Finals Heat Sheet

Rising Canadian star Summer McIntosh beat American legend Katie Ledecky in a stacked women’s 400-meter freestyle on Thursday at the U.S. Open, taking down her meet record in the process.

McIntosh, 17, reached the wall in 3:59.42, sneaking under Ledecky’s U.S. Open meet record of 3:59.71 from last year, when Ledecky edged past McIntosh by just .08 seconds. This year’s showdown wasn’t quite as close as the 26-year-old Ledecky finished nearly three seconds behind McIntosh with a runner-up finish in 4:02.38.

McIntosh has been as fast as 3:56.08 at Canadian Trials in late March, which stood as the world record until 23-year-old Australian Ariarne Titmus reclaimed the honor during her World Championships victory over Ledecky and McIntosh in July. Ledecky’s lifetime best is a 3:56.46 from the Rio 2016 Olympics, which was also a world record at the time.

WOMEN’S 400 FREESTYLE – FINALS

• World Record: 3:55.38 – Ariarne Titmus (2023)
• American Record: 3:56.46 – Katie Ledecky (2016)
• U.S. Open Record: 3:57.94 — Katie Ledecky (2018)
• U.S. Open Meet Record: 3:59.71 – Katie Ledecky (2022)

Top 8:

1. Summer McIntosh — 3:59.42
2. Katie Ledecky — 4:02.38
3. Siobhan Haughey — 4:06.32
4. Leah Smith — 4:06.80
5. Paige Madden — 4:08.01
6. Anna Peplowski — 4:09.91
7. Cavan Gormsen — 4:12.16
8. Erin Gemmell — 4:14.16

Behind McIntosh and Ledecky, 26-year-old Hong Kong standout Siobhan Haughey snagged 3rd place in 4:06.32, just about a second off her personal-best 4:05.30 from the World Cup stop in Berlin last month. Leah Smith, 28, was within half a second of Haughey with a 4th-place showing in 4:06.80, about six second off her best time of 4:00.65 from the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials.

Paige Madden, 25, placed 5th in 4:08.01 after breaking the Pan American Games meet record in the event last month with a winning time of 4:06.45 — her fastest swim since the Tokyo Olympics two years ago.

Indiana junior Anna Peplowski took 6th place in 4:09.91, absolutely crushing her previous-best 4:13.02 from prelims. She came in with an entry time of 4:15.50, getting under the Olympic Trials cut (4:15.49) twice in one day.

A pair of NCAA newbies rounded out the A-final as Virginia freshman Cavan Gormsen captured 7th place in 4:12.16 and Texas freshman Erin Gemmell placed 8th in 4:14.16, who were well off their lifetime bests coming off midseason invites last weekend.

SwimSwam: Summer McIntosh Breaks Katie Ledecky’s U.S. Open Meet Record in 400 Free (3:59.42)