Katie Ledecky’s nine-year domestic win streak snapped by Summer McIntosh

Summer McIntosh, a 16-year-old Canadian, snapped a Katie Ledecky winning streak of nine years on Friday.

McIntosh broke her own world junior record to top Ledecky in the 200m freestyle at a Pro Series swim meet in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

McIntosh clocked 1 minute, 54.13 seconds, lowering her world junior record of 1:54.79 from last year’s world championships. McIntosh became the ninth-fastest woman in history in the event.

“I’m really happy with that swim,” McIntosh, who defeated Ledecky by 83 hundredths, said on Peacock. “It hurt really bad.”

MORE: Full Results

Ledecky had won all of her domestic freestyle long course finals of 200 meters or longer after a January 2014 defeat to 2012 Olympic champion Allison Schmitt.

During that nine-year run, Ledecky did lose freestyle races outside of the U.S. (including at the Olympics and world championships) and in short-course (non-Olympic-sized) pools.

She also finished ninth in a 200m free at the December 2019 U.S. Open. But at that U.S. Open, she won her consolation final with a time that would have won the top eight-woman final, after she was ninth in the preliminary heats. So it arguably does not count as a defeat.

Overall, Ledecky was pleased with her performances Friday night.

Her 200m free time was the second-fastest of her career among meets for this early in a year.

Eighty minutes later, she won the 400m individual medley, an event she doesn’t swim at championship meets, in 4:36.04, the second-fastest time of her life. That time would have won last year’s world championships trials and placed fourth at worlds.

“I’m happy with that double,” she said. “I always joke that in the second half of my career, maybe I’ll do it [focus on the 400m IM].”

Ledecky has not