(Left) Summer McIntosh, Katherine Savard, Rebecca Smith, and Kayla Sanchez win gold on Dec. 20 for women’s 4x200-m freestyle relay. (Swimming Canada/Simone Castrovillari)

By Alessia Proietti

Record set in Americas in 4x200-m freestyle relay

Red Deer swimmer Rebecca Smith wins multiple medals for Canada

Dec 22, 2021 | 4:17 PM

Red Deer’s Rebecca Smith isn’t coming home empty-handed from the 2021 FINA World Swimming Championships (25m), winning three medals.

On Dec. 20, Smith and her teammates Kayla Sanchez, Katherine Savard and Summer McIntosh won the gold medal for women’s 4×200-m freestyle relay, also achieving a new record for the Americas with 7:32:96 and 999 points.

On Dec. 16, the first day of the competition, Smith, Sanchez, Savard and Mac Neil won gold for the women’s 4×100-m freestyle relay with a time of 3:28.52 and 971 points.

That same day, Smith achieved silver for her individual performance at the women’s 200-m freestyle with 1:52.24 and 952 points.

The 21-year-old has so far received 16 FINA and Olympic medals since competing in 2015.

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Her first medal was silver in her first year of competing, at the 5th FINA World Junior Swimming Championships in Singapore for women’s 4×200-m freestyle relay with 7:57.04 and 908 points.

Since then she has competed across the world in the United States, France, Australia, Monte Carlo, Spain, and more.

Her first gold was for women’s 4×200-m freestyle relay at the 2017 6th FINA World Junior Swimming Championships at 7:51.47 and 941 points.

This Dec. 16 – 21, the 15^th FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) was held in Abu Dhabi, covering various aquatic events from swimming, water polo, diving, artistic swimming, high diving and open water swimming.

Other highlights from the competition for Canada included 21-year-old Mac Neil’s gold medal and world record setting win in the women’s 50-m backstroke at 25.27 and 1039 points on Dec. 20. Along with the team’s gold medal for women’s 4×200-m freestyle relay and Sydney Pickrem’s gold for women’s individual 200-m medley, it is the first time Canada has won three gold medals in one day at a major world championships or Games.

Mac Neil also set the Canadian record winning gold for the women’s 100-m butterfly at 55.04 and 976 points.

Canada finished second in medals behind the U.S., with 15 (seven gold, six silver, and two bronze), its best since 2016.

The 16^th FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) will be from Dec. 17-22, 2022 in Kazan, Russia.