Canada’s Summer McIntosh beat her North American rival Katie Ledecky to win the women’s 400m freestyle event at the Fort Lauderdale Open swimming meet on Thursday (30 April).
Three-time Olympic gold medallist McIntosh took the top spot with 3:58.91, beating Team USA’s nine-time Olympic gold medallist Ledecky, who clocked 3:59.02.
Two-time Olympic medallist Emma Weyant rounded off the podium with 4:07.03.
The timings recorded by McIntosh and Ledecky were the two fastest in the world this year.
McIntosh, who won all her three golds at Paris 2024, holds the world record in the 400m freestyle: a time of 3:54.18 which she achieved at the 2025 Canadian Trials.
Ledecky’s second-place finish on day 2 of the meet in Florida came after she won the 1500m freestyle event on the opening day, clocking the fifth-fastest time in history.
Ledecky’s compatriot, Kate Douglass, the two-time Olympic gold medallist, celebrated a double delight, winning the 100m freestyle and 100m breaststroke events.
The Fort Lauderdale Open, which runs through Saturday, also features world-class swimmers in the men’s events, including Frenchman Léon Marchand and Team USA’s Caeleb Dressel.