As Major Opportunities Beckon, Summer McIntosh Continues to Make Global Impact
One of the most-intriguing storylines of the summer is the hype surrounding Canadian youngster Summer McIntosh. The 15-year-old rising star is slated to race at the World Championships in Budapest and Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, with expectations sky high for several eye-opening performances.
At last summer’s Olympic Games, McIntosh just missed the podium in the 400-meter freestyle, finishing fourth in the showstopping clash between Australia’s Ariarne Titmus (3:56.69) and American Katie Ledecky (3:57.36). China’s Li Bingjie earned the bronze medal in 4:01.08, with McIntosh a little more than a second back in 4:02.42.
Nearly 12 months later, McIntosh has clearly elevated her skill set, as she has put together a phenomenal 2022 campaign – with the biggest competitions still to come. Already this year, McIntosh has top-five rankings in a quartet of events, all of which she is qualified to race on the international stage over the next few months. In addition to leading the world in the 400 individual medley (4:29.12) and 200 butterfly (2:05.81), McIntosh sits third in the 400 freestyle (4:01.59) and fourth in the 200 freestyle (1:55.39).
While McIntosh is the heavy favorite for gold in the 400 medley at Worlds, her presence in the 400 freestyle will bring a matchup with Ledecky. Titmus, who just set the world record in the event, will be missing from Budapest, but McIntosh could see her in the 400 free at the Commonwealth Games. Without question, McIntosh has an opportunity to shine on multiple occasions.
Although she won’t contest the event as part of her major-meet program, McIntosh further demonstrated her talent on Saturday during the opening day of the Mare Nostrum Series in Canet. Racing the 200 individual medley, McIntosh topped the field with a mark of 2:10.75, good for top-10 in the world. En route to victory, McIntosh edged reigning Olympic champion Yui Ohashi of Japan, who touched the wall in 2:11.28.
It’s going to be an entertaining Summer.
Ofcourse it is