McIntosh beats Ledecky for 400m freestyle gold, breaks star's meet record at U.S. Open

Canadian phenom Summer McIntosh won a highly anticipated showdown with American superstar Katie Ledecky at the U.S. Open Swimming Championships on Thursday in Greensboro, N.C.

The 17-year-old from Toronto delivered a dominant performance in the women's 400-metre freestyle final, leading the field from start to finish while breaking Ledecky's meet record with a time of three minutes 59.42 seconds.

Ledecky, a seven-time Olympic champion, was bested by nearly three seconds, touching the wall in 4:02.38 for silver at the Greensboro Aquatic Center.

Hong Kong's Siobhán Haughey took home bronze in 4:06.32.

Fellow Canadian Josh Liendo also reached the U.S. Open podium on Thursday, claiming silver in the men's 50m freestyle final.

The 21-year-old from Markham, Ont., finished .10 seconds behind American Michael Andrew with a time of 21.90, edging Aruba's Mikel Schreuders for second place (21.93).

The meet, which runs through Saturday, will also feature Canadian star Penny Oleksiak in the women's 100m freestyle on the final day of competition.

McIntosh will return to the pool for Friday's 400m individual medley, where she is the world-record holder and reigning world champion.

Eighteen-year-old rising star Ilya Kharun, who was born in Montreal, is also set to compete in Greensboro.