Summer McIntosh defeated Kathy Ledecky in the Pro Series Swimming event at Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., on Friday, ending Ledecky’s nearly decade-long winning streak in U.S. soil. The 16-year-old McIntosh narrowly outpaced Ledecky in the 200m freestyle by 0.83 seconds with a total time of 1 minute 54.13 seconds.
For Ledecky, this loss was the first in a long freestyle race of 200 meters or more held in the United States since 2014, when she lost to compatriot Allison Schmitt. Over the next nine years, Ledecky went on to build one of the most illustrious careers among female swimmers, which includes seven Olympic gold medals, 19 world championship gold medals and numerous world records.
“She’s an amazing racer and I’ve always looked up to her.” McIntosh said in an interview after the race. “She is the greatest freestyler of all time and being able to race her is always an amazing experience and I have always learned a lot.”
McIntosh’s win was one of her big wins on the day when she also set a new junior world record in the 200m butterfly. McIntosh was a rising star in women’s swimming, whose rise began when she competed in the Tokyo Olympics as the youngest member of Team Canada at 14 years old.
Source: www.cbssports.com
