The swimming world in Singapore is buzzing with excitement, especially after some incredible performances. Eighteen-year-old Canadian sensation Summer McIntosh grabbed her second gold medal at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships. She absolutely dominated the 200-meter individual medley. Meanwhile, American powerhouse Gretchen Walsh broke a championship record in the 100-meter butterfly.
McIntosh, already a three-time Olympic champion from Paris 2024, proved why she’s considered a true wonder. She added the 200 IM title to her 400-meter freestyle win from the day before. McIntosh finished the race in a blazing 2 minutes, 6.69 seconds. This put her well ahead of the American, Alex Walsh, who took silver with 2:08.58. Another Canadian, Mary-Sophie Harvey, earned the bronze with a time of 2:09.15. McIntosh’s own world record for this event is 2:05.70, so she’s still aiming even faster. She’s set to swim three more distances, eyeing a historic five-gold haul at these championships.
Another young talent, 12-year-old Chinese swimmer Zidi Yu, nearly made history herself. In her World Championships debut, she placed fourth in the 200 IM. A bronze medal would have been a remarkable achievement for such a young athlete.
The men’s 50-meter butterfly final was a nail-biter, a truly fast race that saw several historic times. Portugal’s Diogo Ribeiro, a 20-year-old phenom, finished just off the podium in fourth place. Despite missing a medal, he set a new national record with a time of 22.77 seconds. Ribeiro was the world champion in this event in 2024 and runner-up in 2023. This short, explosive race is set to become an Olympic event at the Los Angeles 2028 Games.
French swimmer Maxime Grousset made a big statement, making up for a less-than-stellar performance at the Paris 2024 Olympics where he only earned one relay bronze. Grousset claimed gold in the 50-meter butterfly with a time of 22.48 seconds. This is the fourth-fastest time ever recorded. He outpaced Switzerland’s Noe Ponti, who finished second with 22.51, the fifth-best time in history. Italy’s Thomas Ceccon took third, clocking in at 22.67, which stands as the eighth-best historical mark. Ribeiro still has more races to come, including the 100-meter butterfly, 50-meter freestyle, and 100-meter freestyle.
Gretchen Walsh’s gold medal in the 100-meter butterfly was equally impressive. She had to withdraw from the 4×100-meter freestyle relay final earlier due to an illness affecting the U.S. team. But she bounced back strong, setting a championship record of 54.73 seconds. She was the only swimmer to dip into the 54-second range. “I was aiming for 55, so to drop into the 54-second range is something that makes me very proud,” Walsh shared. This marks her first individual world title. Belgium’s Roos Vanotterdijk secured the silver with 55.84, while Australia’s Alexandria Perkins earned bronze with 56.33. China’s Zhang Yufei finished fourth, just missing the podium with 56.47.
In the men’s 100-meter breaststroke, China’s Qin Haiyang confirmed his top billing. He won gold with a time of 58.23 seconds, successfully defending his 2023 title. Italy’s Nicolo Martinenghi, the 2024 Olympic champion, took second with 58.58 seconds. Denis Petrashov of Kyrgyzstan rounded out the podium, finishing third in 58.88. The championship continues to deliver thrilling races and standout performances from both seasoned veterans and rising stars.