Olympic hopefuls Summer McIntosh and Katie Ledecky gear up for a fierce competition in a pre-Olympic preview of their swimming rivalry
In the 800-meter freestyle final at the 2025 World Swimming Championships in Singapore, the spotlight was on a potential showdown between American swimmer Katie Ledecky and Canada's Summer McIntosh.
McIntosh, who had already bagged three world golds this week in the 400 free, 200 IM, and 200 fly, was in excellent form and had prioritized the 800m freestyle in her training. Her coach believed that she could potentially end Ledecky's dominance in this event, which stretches back to 2013[1][4].
Ledecky, with 14 Olympic medals, nine of them gold, was not to be outdone. She cruised through her qualifying heat on Friday to secure a spot in the final[2]. In the final, Ledecky edged out McIntosh, securing her seventh straight world title in the 800m freestyle[1][2][3].
McIntosh, who touched the wall first in the 800 during the Southern Zone South Sectional Championships in Orlando, Florida, last year[6], expressed confidence in her performance despite being on Day 6 of the meet.
The final will be streamed live on Peacock at 8:21 p.m. local time in Singapore (8:21 a.m. ET)[5]. Ledecky and McIntosh will be in Lanes 4 and 3, respectively[7].
Rowdy Gaines, a three-time gold medalist and NBC swimming analyst, has called the race the biggest outside of the Olympic format[8]. Ledecky, who won gold in the 1,500 free earlier this week, in addition to the 400 free bronze and silver in the 4x200 free relay, acknowledged that winning the 800 seven-peat won't be a cakewalk[9].
Jill Horstead, McIntosh's mother, is a 1984 Canadian Olympic swimmer[10]. McIntosh, who has already made a name for herself in the swimming world, is committed to swimming the 800 in Los Angeles.
Michael Phelps, the only other swimmer, apart from Ledecky, to win the same individual event at four Olympics, in any sport[11], will not be present in this race. However, his absence does not diminish the significance of the competition between Ledecky and McIntosh.
The potential clash between Ledecky and McIntosh in the 800 in Los Angeles could serve as a preview of their potential Olympics clash. Ledecky has a long history of dominating the 800 free, with titles in 2012, 2016, 2021, and last summer[12]. McIntosh, who finished more than two seconds behind Ledecky in the 400 free earlier this week[3], is determined to challenge Ledecky's reign.
[1] https://www.insideolympic.com/swimming-world-championships/katie-ledecky-wins-7th-consecutive-world-title-in-800-free [2] https://www.nbcsports.com/swimming/article/katie-ledecky-qualifies-for-800-final-at-world-championships [3] https://www.nbcsports.com/swimming/article/ledecky-wins-7th-straight-world-title-800-free [4] https://www.swimswam.com/2025-world-championships-ledecky-mcintosh-800-final-preview/ [5] https://www.nbcsports.com/swimming/article/2025-world-championships-800-free-live-stream-tv-channel [6] https://www.swimswam.com/summer-mcintosh-wins-800-free-at-orlando-sectionals/ [7] https://www.swimswam.com/2025-world-championships-ledecky-mcintosh-800-final-lanes-4-3/ [8] https://www.nbcsports.com/olympics/swimming/rowdy-gaines-summer-mcintosh-vs-katie-ledecky-biggest-outside-olympic-format [9] https://www.swimswam.com/ledecky-wont-take-800-seven-peat-cakewalk/ [10] https://www.cbc.ca/sports/summer-mcintosh-mom-jill-horstead-olympian-1.6236319 [11] https://www.insideolympic.com/swimming/michael-phelps-katie-ledecky-only-two-swimmers-win-same-individual-event-four-olympics [12] https://www.swimswam.com/katie-ledecky-800-free-world-championships-history-domination/
The upcoming 800-meter freestyle final at the 2025 World Swimming Championships in Singapore promises to be exhilarating, given the high-profile competition between American swimmer Katie Ledecky and Canada's Summer McIntosh. McIntosh, who has demonstrated excellent form throughout the week, has been training specifically for this event and is expected to challenge Ledecky's longstanding dominance in the competition, which began in 2013.
