SEPTEMBER 22, 2025
LINK TO ARTICLE: https://www.hercampus.com/school/toronto-mu/icymi-the-headlines-that-dominated-womens-sports-this-summer/
Women’s sports are not just having a moment— they’re starting a movement! This summer proved more than ever that women’s sports are booming, especially Canadian women’s sports. With female Canadian athletes in the spotlight all summer, let’s recap the historic victories that made this summer one to remember.
1. SUMMER MCINTOSH CAPTURES FIVE MEDALS AT SWIMMING WORLDS
18-year-old swimmer Summer McIntosh had one of the most outstanding weeks at the Singapore World Aquatics Championship this August, bringing home five medals— four of them gold.
Toronto’s McIntosh has already made waves for her excellent athletic reputation, joining the Royal Bank of Canada’s esteemed Olympian ambassador program. The 18-year-old has set Olympic, World, and Canadian records. She was the first Canadian athlete to win three gold medals at a single Olympics in Paris 2024 and was awarded Canadian Female Athlete of the Year by The Canadian Press.
Looking to achieve a feat only completed by swimmer Michael Phelps, McIntosh aimed to win gold in five of the categories she was competing in: Women’s 200m Butterfly, 200m Medley, 400m Freestyle, 400m Medley, and 800m Freestyle.
McIntosh got off to an amazing start in Singapore, taking gold in the 200m Medley and the 400m Freestyle. She had her eyes on breaking the 200m Butterfly world record, and while she narrowly missed it, McIntosh still won gold and set a new meet record.
Swimming in the 800m Freestyle, American swimmer Katie Ledecky ended McIntosh’s bid to join Phelps as the only five-gold swimmers, taking gold ahead of Australia’s Lani Pallister and McIntosh.
Ending the competition with a gold medal in the 400m Freestyle, McIntosh became the second woman in history to win four solo titles at a single long-course worlds, following Ledecky in 2015.
McIntosh is also just the third swimmer to win five individual medals at a world championships, joining Phelps and Sweden’s Sarah Sjöström.
2. VICTORIA MBOKO WINS HER FIRST CAREER TITLE
After finishing last year ranked 350th, 18-year-old tennis player Victoria Mboko entered the 2025 National Bank Open looking to make a name for herself.
A promising junior player born in Charlotte, North Carolina, Mboko moved to Toronto when she was young and trained with her siblings in Burlington. Mboko battled a knee injury for the last two years, hindering her tennis abilities.
This season, however, was different. Mboko went undefeated through her first 22 matches of the year. After winning five of six lower-level ITF tournaments, reaching the final of a WTA 125 event in Italy, and advancing to the third round of the French Open, she had an extraordinary Grand Slam debut.
Then it was time for the National Bank Open! Entering the tournament ranked 85th in the world, Mboko captured the attention and the hearts of millions of Canadians with her athleticism.
In the second round of the tournament, the Canadian teen defeated No. 23 Sofia Kenin, who won the 2020 Australian Open. In the round of 16, she downed top-seeded Coco Gauff, who won the 2025 French Open and the 2023 U.S. Open. Both times, Mboko conquered the tennis icons in straight sets.
While playing in the semifinal round against ninth-seeded Elena Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon Champion suffered a wrist injury and lost the first set 6-1. She battled back to take the next two 7-5, 7-6 (4) and move on to the finals.
After another rough opening set in the finals, Mboko rallied for a 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 win over Naomi Osaka, in a matchup that was for the ages.
Mboko’s victory makes her the second-lowest-ranked player to win a Tier I/WTA 1000 title since the format’s introduction in 1990. She is also just the third Canadian champion at the National Bank Open in the Open Era after Faye Urban and Bianca Andreescu.
3 BROOKE HENDERSON CEMENTS HER PLACE AS CANADA’S MOST SUCCESSFUL GOLFER OF ALL-TIME
Smiths Falls, Ontario, golfer Brooke Henderson went into the 2025 Canadian Women’s Open hoping to snap her two-year, title-less drought.
Going head-to-head with Australia’s Minjee Lee, Henderson and Lee spent the latter half of the tournament chasing after one another. The pair finished August 23rd’s round tied for first at 11 under, three strokes ahead of the field.
Between Henderson’s popularity and Lee’s star quality, the tournament’s final pairing was especially memorable. Lee has won three major tournaments: the 2021 Amundi Evian Championship, the 2022 U.S. Women’s Open, and the 2025 KMPG Women’s PGA Championship.
Both golfers started three shots ahead of the chasing pack, and pulled ahead even further with matching birdies on the par-4 second hole. They both bogeyed the par-4 fourth hole before Henderson added another birdie on the fifth hole.
At the ninth hole, Henderson accidentally hit an overhanging tree branch with her approach shot, but was able to save it by knocking her third shot to roughly 15 feet and sank the putt. Lee was close behind, adding her own birdie at the eighth hole and shooting par at hole number nine.
Henderson added another birdie on the par-3 14th hole from mid-range as Lee hit a poor tee ball that barely crossed the hazard. Henderson then rolled in a tidy birdie on the penultimate hole to top Lee’s efforts from further away, staying one shot ahead.
Henderson shot a 4-under 67 to pull ahead of Lee by a stroke in the final round to win her second CPKC Women’s Open trophy, cementing her place as Canada’s most successful golfer of all time. She has the most career wins of any Canadian professional golfer on the LPGA Tour, with 14.
4. OLIVIA SMITH SETS WOMEN’S SOCCER FEE RECORD
Canadian forward Olivia Smith became the most expensive player in women’s soccer history on July 10th, when Arsenal FC signed her from Liverpool FC for a world record transfer fee of one million pounds (CAD$1.84 million).
The record surpasses the 900,000 pounds (CAD$1.6 million) Chelsea FC paid when signing Naomi Girma from the San Diego Wave in January.
Smith is Canada’s youngest international soccer player, making her debut at 15 years old in 2019. The now 20-year-old from Whitby has rapidly risen since developing in the U.S. college system.
After her time at Penn State, Smith joined Sporting Lisbon in 2023, scoring 16 goals in 28 appearances. She then moved to Liverpool in 2024, scored nine times in 25 games, and was voted Liverpool FC Women’s 2024-25 Player of the Season.
Smith signed a four-year deal with Arsenal and is already making her mark. She scored her first goal with the team in her very first match against London City, helping propel Arsenal to a 4-1 victory. Smith’s deal highlights a rapid increase in spending in women’s soccer.
5. WNBA PLAYS ITS FIRST REGULAR-SEASON GAME IN CANADA
The WNBA has been having yet another historic season, breaking attendance and viewership records as the regular season comes to a close. One of the most notable achievements for the league was its first regular-season game in Canada.
On Aug. 15, 2025, the Atlanta Dream faced off against the Seattle Storm at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, B.C. While this isn’t the first time the WNBA has held games outside the U.S., it is only the third time that a game has been held in Canada, and the fifth game outside of the U.S.
The other international WNBA games were in England (2014) and Mexico (2004).
The game was a teaser for what fans might experience in May 2026, when the Toronto Tempo officially joins the league. The newest WNBA franchise shouldn’t have any trouble filling seats, with over 15,000 fans attending the most recent Vancouver game and prior WNBA Canadian preseason games featuring a sellout crowd two years in a row.
Summer may be coming to an end, but a new era of women’s sports has just begun. As fan engagement, media coverage, and investments continue to rise, this summer has truly set a foundation for continued growth in athlete marketability, league development, and viewer demand.
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