Canadian Summer McIntosh grew to become the primary swimmer to win a 400m freestyle over Katie Ledecky in a U.S. pool in 11 years, taking the title on the Toyota U.S. Open on Thursday.

McIntosh, a 17-year-old who held the 400m free world report for 3 months this yr, clocked 3 minutes, 59.42 seconds in Greensboro, North Carolina.

She distanced Ledecky by 2.96 seconds. It’s onerous to gauge Olympic prospects on this meet given swimmers are at completely different factors of their coaching cycles.

Ledecky’s final loss in a 400m free in a U.S. pool was when she positioned third on the 2012 Olympic Trials at age 15. Last March, McIntosh snapped Ledecky’s nine-year home win streak within the 200m free. Ledecky continues to be undefeated in home 800m and 1500m free races for 13 years.

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McIntosh is the two-time reigning world champion within the 200m butterfly and 400m particular person medley.

She additionally entered this previous July’s worlds because the world report holder within the 400m free and completed fourth in a race the place Australian Ariarne Titmus regained the world report.

“After that race, I learned a lot about how to get back out after it,” McIntosh stated on Peacock on Thursday. “I had so many races after that that I was really happy with. No matter how bad one race is, you really get back up and get back into it.”

The U.S. Open continues with finals on Friday at 6 p.m. ET, reside on Peacock.

Also Thursday, Michael Andrew gained the 50m free in 21.80.

Caeleb Dressel took the B closing in 21.99 as he continues his return after a months-long break from the game final yr. Before this meet, Dressel’s greatest time in 2023 was 22.57. His 21.99 would have positioned eighth at this previous summer season’s nationals.

Former University of Virginia teammates Kate Douglass and Alex Walsh repeated their one-two from worlds. Douglass prevailed by a half-second in 2:08.46.

About 25 minutes later, Douglass gained the 50m free in 24.38, taking two hundredths off her private greatest. She’s third-fastest within the nation this yr.

Shaine Casas swam the quickest males’s 200m IM from the B closing, a 1:56.06 that matched one of the best American time this yr, which he set in April. Casas was fourth at worlds.

Drew Kibler, who has primarily been a 100m and 200m freestyler, gained the lads’s 400m free in 3:47.58, taking 2.3 seconds off his private greatest. He’s now the fifth-fastest American within the occasion in 2023.