It was easy to see the word she formed when she stepped out of the pool after noting the final time 2.01,99:
"Fuck".
Before the race, the big goal for me and my coach was to beat the world record. That's what I've been training for. To see that I missed by so little and know that I messed it up the last 15 meters. It's a bit frustrating, says the 18-year-old Canadian.
The Chinese Liu Zige's record is from the super swimsuit era, 2009.
Can be historic
The overall goal is still alive, though. To be the first woman to take historic five individual golds in five events.
The only woman who has taken five individual medals in the same World Championship is Sarah Sjöström, who took one gold, two silvers, and two bronzes in the World Championship in South Korea 2019.
McIntosh was completely superior and won with three seconds ahead of Regan Smith, who a while later took silver also on 50 meters backstroke.
The American has three medals in the World Championship so far – all silvers.
The Chinese super talent Yu Zidi finished fourth once again.
This time it was 31 hundredths to a bronze, earlier in the week on 200 meters medley the margin was a mere six hundredths.
Marchand's first gold
French Olympic hero Léon Marchand took his first gold in Singapore when he won 200 meters medley.
He didn't manage to polish his one-day-old and fantastic world record of 1.52,69.
But with the winning time 1.53,68, he was under the old one again.
The Romanian speed phenomenon David Popovici won earlier in the week 200 meters freestyle and completed the gold double by winning 100 meters freestyle.
It's the second time the 21-year-old achieves this double, the last time was at the World Championship 2022.
Popovici's winning time became 46,51, just eleven hundredths over the Chinese Pan Zhanle's world record.
