Summer McIntosh didn’t just break records in Saanich – she left the sport breathless.
The 18-year-old swimming phenom lit up the pool at Saanich Commonwealth Place during the 2025 Canadian Swimming Trials, shattering three world records and two Canadian records over the course of six days.
McIntosh opened the six-day meet with a world record in the 400-metre freestyle, setting the tone in front of a packed crowd.
But it was Monday’s 200-metre individual medley (IM) that sent the decibel level in the building into overdrive.
The Toronto native stopped the clock at 2:05.70 – rewriting the world record previously held by Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu since 2015.
She also smashed the world record in the 400-metre IM.
With those performances, McIntosh became the first swimmer to break world records in three different individual events at a single long course meet since Michael Phelps at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
The trials – held from June 7–12 – marked the first time since the pandemic that Vancouver Island hosted a swim meet of this magnitude.
Saanich Commonwealth Place, originally built for the 1994 Commonwealth Games, served as the qualifying venue for Canada’s team heading to the 2025 World Aquatics Championships, which will take place in Singapore from July 26 to Aug. 3.
“This was something else,” said Saanich resident Carol Conners, who attended the meet on Tuesday. “We come to these pools to stay fit and socialize, but to see athletes like that – it just blows you away.”
McIntosh, the reigning Olympic gold medallist in the 200-metre IM from Paris last summer, wasn’t done after her record-breaking openers.
She also posted the third-fastest time in history in the 800-metre freestyle – setting a new Canadian record with a time of 8:05.07.
But it wasn’t a one-swimmer show.
Penny Oleksiak, who won four Olympic medals in 2016, stormed back into the national spotlight with a win in the women’s 50-metre freestyle.
The Toronto sprinter broke the 25-second barrier with a personal-best 24.89 to edge out Kelowna’s Taylor Ruck (24.96), who holds the Canadian record in the event.
For Oleksiak, whose career was interrupted by a knee injury in 2023, it was a powerful reminder that she’s not done yet.
Alongside McIntosh and Oleksiak, Canadian stars like Josh Liendo, Ilya Kharun, and Kylie Masse were among the marquee names competing in Victoria.
Canadian Swimming Trials continue at the Saanich Commonwealth Pool on Tuesday morning with the Men’s 200 metre Butterfly. pic.twitter.com/rChB3aUKan
— Victoria News (@VictoriaNews) June 10, 2025
Saanich Commonwealth Place pool played its part, too.
The building – a legacy venue from the ’94 Commonwealth Games – proved it’s still capable of hosting Canada’s best. The stands were full, the deck was packed, and swimmers fed off the energy from the Island crowd.
“It took my breath away,” said Conners. “There’s something really special about seeing them in person. It felt personal – like I’ll be cheering them on even louder now when I see them on TV.”
McIntosh, Oleksiak, Masse, Liendo, and Kharun all earned spots on the Canadian national team for their journey to the World Championships in Singapore, joining 23 other swimmers set to represent the country this summer.
In addition to the big-name stars, more than 30 swimmers from Vancouver Island are also competing this week.
Esquimalt’s 15-year-old Maelle Sanborn, along with Claremont Secondary graduates Bill Dongfang – now swimming for the University of Toronto – and Keir Ogilvie, representing the UVic Vikes, are all in the mix.
Parksville’s Nicholas Bennett, who earned two golds and a silver at the 2024 Paris Paralympics, leads the Island’s para swimming contingent. He’s joined by Roy Pan and Sophie Wood, both set to represent Team B.C. at the 2025 Canada Summer Games in St. John’s, as they aim to crack the national team ranks.
Bennett came just short of breaking his own SM14 world record (2:05.97) in the Para men’s 200-metre IM. The two-time Paralympic champion, who grew up swimming at Saanich Commonwealth Place and had family in attendance, won his event in 2:06.36.
The Parksville product will headline the Canadian Para swimming team at the World Para Swimming Championships, set for Sept. 21-27 in Singapore, alongside 18 other swimmers.
