Paris Olympics, Day 7 Prelims: Summer McIntosh Chasing Third Gold Medal; Grabs Top Seed in 200 IM

Paris Olympics, Day 7 Prelims: Summer McIntosh Chasing Third Gold Medal; Grabs Top Seed in 200 IM

Four primary contenders. Three medals. Who will endure?

The women’s 200-meter individual medley at the Olympic Games in Paris opened on Friday morning, its can’t-miss nature related to four distinct podium hopefuls – Canadian Summer McIntosh, Australian Kaylee McKeown and the American tandem of Kate Douglass and Alex Walsh. The first three women mentioned have already won gold medals over the past week while Walsh is the reigning silver medalist in the 200 IM.

In the penultimate morning session of the meet, McIntosh produced the fastest time and the only mark under the 2:10 barrier. McIntosh checked in with a time of 2:09.90 to place ahead of China’s Yu Yiting (2:10.28). McIntosh has been the female headliner at La Defense Arena, thanks to titles in the 400 individual medley and 200 butterfly, along with a silver medal in the 400 freestyle. Her performance on Thursday night was sensational, as the 17-year-old clocked the second-fastest time in history in the 200 fly, a mark of 2:03.03.

Walsh grabbed the No. 3 seed for the semifinals by winning the last of the morning heats. Walsh coasted to a time of 2:10.48, which placed her ahead of Canadian Sydney Pickrem (2:10.63) and Douglass (2:10.70), her training partner at the University of Virginia. Aussie Ella Ramsay was sixth in 2:10.75 and Great Britain’s Abbie Wood was seventh in 2:10.95.

The 2012 Olympic champion from London, China’s Ye Shiwen advanced in eighth, as she covered her four laps in 2:10.96. Meanwhile, McKeown was ninth after an easy 2:11.26. McKeown conserved energy for what will be a busy night, as she will defend her Olympic title in the final of the 200 backstroke and race the semifinals of the 200 IM.

Reigning Olympic champion Yui Ohashi of Japan squeezed into the semifinals after finishing 14th in the morning. Ohashi touched the wall in 2:11.70.

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