Summer McIntosh swims to record gold in 400m individual medley at US Open

Canadian swimming superstar Summer McIntosh, who has been dubbed a once-in-a-generation talent, has done it again.

On Friday night in Greensboro, North Carolina, at the US Open swimming competition, McIntosh won gold in the 400-meter individual medley.

His time of 4:28.61 is a Canadian record and the junior world record in this event. It is also the fourth fastest performance in 400m individual medley history.

McIntosh finished just two seconds off the world record of 4:26.36 set by Katinka Hosszu of Hungary in 2016.

Runner-up Emma Weyant – who won Olympic silver in Tokyo in the same event – from the United States, finished the race 13 seconds behind McIntosh.

It continues a streak of stellar performances in competitive swimming from the 16-year-old who is apparently breaking records every time she is in the pool.

A night earlier, McIntosh pushed great American swimmer Katie Ledecky to the brink in a thrilling finish to the 400m freestyle.

The US Open swimming competition started on Wednesday and ends on Saturday. The event drew hundreds of athletes from across the United States, including Olympians and world championship swimmers, as well as a few Canadians.

McIntosh of Toronto has had a stellar season and is widely regarded as one of the most impressive swimmers in the world right now.

At the world championships in June, the teenager won gold in the 200m butterfly, gold in the 400m individual medley and silver in the 400m freestyle. McIntosh also added bronze to his collection at the 4x200m freestyle relay world championships.

Then McIntosh went to the Commonwealth Games and cleaned things up, winning six medals including two gold.

At Tokyo 2020, McIntosh made his Olympic debut aged 14.