Double world record holder Summer McIntosh will lead a 31-member Swimming Canada team into this summer’s World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan.

The 16-year-old from Toronto set world records in the 400-metre freestyle and 400-m individual medley during the 2023 Bell Canadian Swimming Trials.

Joining her will be Margaret Mac Neil of London, Ont., the Olympic gold medallist in the 100-m butterfly; Kylie Masse of La Salle, Ont., a world champion and Olympic silver medallist in backstroke; and Joshua Liendo of Markham, Ont., winner of three medals at last year’s world championships in Budapest.

McIntosh, who broke five Canadian and world junior records during the trials, hinted more is possible at the world championships.

“I’m really excited to be honest,” she said. “There’s always room for improvement. I always watch my races with my coach and kind of nitpick what I could do better to keep improving.

“Once you get to the world stage and really big meets, it’s just about getting your handed on the wall. My goal is always to keep improving. I’m just excited to race a bunch of people.”

Canadian swimmers won 11 medals (3 gold, 4 silver, 4 bronze) at last year’s championships in Budapest, the country’s most ever, and broke five Canadian records. Canada ranked third in total medals and fourth in gold.

This year’s team consists of 14 men and 17 women. There are 21 swimmers (12 women, 9 men) returning from the Budapest squad while 10 swimmers (5 women, 5 men) will be making their world championships debut.

Katerine Savard, who trains with Club Aquatique Montreal, will be competing at her sixth world championships.

“I still have dreams,” said Savard, who has spent 14 years on Canadian national swim team. “I’m fortunate to still be of a calibre to compete with these girls.

“I’m proud to be at their level and to be part of several generations of swimmers.”

Brayden Taivassalo of Newmarket, Ont., who trains at the High Performance Centre – Ontario, is excited about attending his first world championships.

“It’s a big moment,” said Taivassalo. “This whole year has been a constant opportunity to learn and grow as a swimmer.

“It’s definitely a great experience not just the meet but also the training camp leading up to it. Everything about it will be good.”

John Atkinson, Swimming Canada’s high performance director and national coach, believes Canada will have another strong performance this year.

“After a successful week at the Bell Canadian Swimming Trials held at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre, we are excited to see our swimmers perform against the world’s best in Fukuoka,” said Atkinson. “The meet is another important step as Swimming Canada prepares for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

“For our athletes, what ever their level of performance was during the Trials, the goal is now to improve and be better in Fukuoka.”

The world championships will be the first chance for countries to qualify relay teams for the Paris Olympics.

Ryan Mallette of the High Performance Centre – Ontario, will be the team’s head coach. His staff will include Scott Talbot (High Performance Centre – Vancouver), Dave Johnson (Calgary Cascade Swim Club); Greg Arkhurst (Club Aquatique Montreal); Linda Kiefer (University of Toronto), Paul Birmingham ( University of Alberta) and Brent Arckey (Sarasota Sharks) as a personal support coach.

Iain McDonald will be assistant team leader and Jan Hanan the team manager.

“I’m really delighted with the coaches and support staff we have appointed to help our athletes perform their best at the world championships,” said Atkinson.

“This is great recognition to the coaches appointed and to their clubs, as well as providing great opportunities for our coaches to develop. This is a key strategy for Swimming Canada and it will continue.”

The World Aquatics Championships will be held July 14 to July 30. The pool swimming events, which begin July 23, will be held at Marine Messe Fukuoka. Open water swimming, which runs from July 15 to July 20, will be held at Seaside Momochi Beach Park.

The open water athletes will be selected at the 2023 Canadian Open Water Trials in Grand Cayman, April 15-16.

The teams for the Pan American Games, being held Oct. 20-Nov. 5 in Santiago, Chile, and the World Aquatic Junior Swimming Championships Nov. 4-9 in Netanya, Israel,  will be named Thursday.