Summer McIntosh is ready to compete on the Olympic stage once again.
McIntosh was only 14 years old when she made her Olympic debut at the 2020 Tokyo Games, becoming the youngest athlete on all of Team Canada that year. After earning gold at the FINA World Championships in 2022, McIntosh is setting her sights on the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
Here’s what you should know about Summer McIntosh:
McIntosh set a Canadian record at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics
In 2021, McIntosh placed fourth in the 400m freestyle, clocking a 4:02.42 for a new Canadian national record.
She also competed in the 4x200m freestyle relay (1:55.74 for her leg) alongside her three 20-something teammates, Penny Oleksiak, Kayla Sanchez and Rebecca Smith, helping them to a fourth-place finish in the final in a new Canadian record (7:43.77), and narrowly missed qualifying for the 200m freestyle final.
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She finished ninth overall in the 200m freestyle with a 1:56.11 and 11th in the 800m freestyle at 8:25.04.
McIntosh recently beat Katie Ledecky in one of Ledecky's signature events
Summer McIntosh ended Ledecky’s 13-year undefeated streak in the 800m freestyle, winning a sectional meet in February by nearly six seconds. McIntosh’s 8:11.39 mark also cleared Ledecky’s winning time of 8:12.57 from the Tokyo Olympics, though it’s still shy of Ledecky’s 8:04.79 world record from the Rio Olympics in 2016.
It isn't the first time McIntosh has ended a long winning streak for Ledecky.
Late last year, McIntosh became the first swimmer in 11 years to beat Ledecky in a 400m freestyle final held in the United States. In March 2023, the teenager also snapped Ledecky's nine-year winning run in the 200m free in her home country.
The matchup between Ledecky and McIntosh will be one of the top things to watch during the swimming competitions in Paris.
What events will McIntosh compete in at the 2024 Olympics?
McIntosh’s primary events are the 200m butterfly, 400m individual medley and 400m free. She is the second-fastest woman in history in the 800m free and fourth fastest in the 200m IM, though she has never swum either event at the world championships.
The 200m IM and the 800m free finals are in the same session on the Olympic schedule. The schedule has the 200m IM taking place right before the 800m free, making it unrealistic to swim both.
See the Paris Olympics schedule here.
McIntosh’s family is no stranger to the Olympics
Athleticism runs in the McIntosh family.
Her mother, Jill (née Horstead), competed in swimming at the Los Angeles 1984 Summer Olympics. Her older sister, Brooke, on the other hand, competed in pairs figure skating at the Lausanne 2020 Youth Olympic Games.
Growing up in Toronto, Canada, McIntosh moved to Sarasota, Florida, in order to join an elite training swim program.
Even her cats are part of the sports-oriented family. McIntosh named one of her two cats Mikey after Michael Phelps because he loves water.
