Paris Olympics, Day 8 Finals: Summer McIntosh Overtakes Americans For 200 IM Olympic Gold
Three women racing in the women’s 200 individual medley final Saturday evening in Paris had already visited the summit, reaching the sport’s highest target with an Olympic gold medal at least once each. A fourth swimmer was the silver medalist from the last Olympics, a past world champion in the event and the top qualifier from the semifinals after waiting all week for one event while her competitors wore down through rounds of their previous events.
An Olympic final as accomplished as any this week, even all the race’s principle figures are age 23 or younger, one of them just 17. This was the grudge match, a race that could settle the title of top female swimmer in the world for 2024.
Canada’s Summer McIntosh and the American pairing of Alex Walsh and Kate Douglass owned the middle lanes, with Australia’s Kaylee McKeown out in lane one after navigating a Friday night double, with the 200 IM coming just moments after the 200 backstroke final and medal ceremony. Each swimmer in the field has preferred strokes and weaker strokes, so lead changes were expected. The extent to which the swimmers accentuated their strengths and minimized their weaknesses would determine a champion.
After a race that saw three different swimmers hold leads at the various turns, McIntosh pulled ahead and secured her third Olympic gold medal of the week.
“It’s pretty surreal,” McIntosh said. “I’m just so proud of myself how I was able to recover and manage these events because it is a lot. The reason I’m able to do this is because of all the hard work and dedication I’ve given to this moment, along with all my family and my teammates and coaches that have also worked so hard for me to be here today.”
The race proceeded exactly as expected through the first 150 meters: Douglass blasting out ahead of McIntosh on the butterfly before McIntosh took over with an enormous backstroke split. Off the midway wall, though, Walsh quickly ran her down on breaststroke and took over the lead heading into the freestyle. McKeown was out of the mix for gold at that point, but McIntosh and Douglass were both charging.
Down the stretch, McIntosh pulled up alongside Walsh and took the lead in the final 15 meters on her way to touching in 2:06.56, clipping the Olympic record of 2:06.58 set by Katinka Hosszu eight years ago.
“I knew at the 150 mark, I might be behind,” McIntosh said. ” I couldn’t really see where I was, but I knew that I could just bring it home as best as possible because I do swim the 400 IM, and I know how to work that endurance and have quick transitions. I knew it was going to be a quick race, but I’m happy with the result tonight.”
Douglass took silver in 2:06.92, her second individual medal of the week and third overall medal. I knew I really needed to focus on swimming my own race because we all have our strengths and weaknesses there, and so I just focused on staying in my own lane and not getting too stressed out about anyone next to me,” Douglass said. “I just gave it all I had knowing it’s my last race of the meet.”
Walsh touched third in 2:07.06, but moments afterward, she was disqualified for an illegal backstroke-to-breaststroke turn. That gave McKeown, who touched in 2:08.08, the bronze medal, a half-second ahead of China’s Yu Yiting (2:08.49).
Notably, the race included only seven swimmers after Australia’s Ella Ramsay was a late withdrawal due to illness, with her spot not filled by a reserve.
- World Record: Katinka Hosszu, Hungary – 2:06.12 (2015)
- Olympic Record: Katinka Hosszu, Hungary – 2:06.58 (2016)
- Tokyo Olympic Champion: Yui Ohashi, Japan – 2:08.52
Summer McIntosh — Photo Courtesy: Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto
McIntosh had already performed brilliantly throughout her first Olympics, dominating the 400 IM final by more than five-and-a-half seconds and defeating a spirited effort from Regan Smith in the 200 fly while also taking silver behind Ariarne Titmus in the 400 free. This medal made McIntosh the fifth Canadian swimmer to win at least four Olympic medals, joining Penny Oleksiak, Kylie Masse, Victor Davis and Taylor Ruck, but she is the first to win four individual medals in her career, let alone in a single Games.
And McIntosh made it look easy, never appearing overwhelmed by the moment and seemingly never realizing the challenges that taking on such an ambitious lineup pose for most swimmers.
“Today has probably been the hardest because it’s day eight, but it really comes back to mentally being ready because I know I’m as physically prepared as possible,” McIntosh said. “Going into this final, I was able to get a really good nap before it. I was able to get an extra three hours. I just really tried to continue the momentum since day one.”
McKeown, meanwhile, earned the eighth Olympic medal of her career. Douglass had previously pulled away from defending champion Tatjana Smith for a win in the 200 breaststroke, and she also helped the Americans to silver in the 400 free relay.
“After Tokyo, it was really cool to get a taste of what winning an Olympic medal was like, and so this time around, I kind of hoped to maybe come home with more than one, so to be coming home with three medals is just really awesome,” Douglass said. “There definitely was a lot more pressure, a lot more expectations going into this meet, but I had a lot more confidence in myself. I knew I could come home with more than one individual medal, and I’m happy I achieved that.”
Were this race comprised of only three strokes instead of four, there would have been an obvious pre-race favorite: McKeown lags behind the field in butterfly while Douglass is world-class in every stroke except backstroke. Similar story with McIntosh on the breaststroke leg, although that deficit was masked in the 400 IM thanks to her overall dominance. As for Walsh, who has for years possessed the best middle 100 meters of anyone in the world, freestyle is the limiting factor.
But in this final, with no one holding anything back in the last individual race in Paris for all the swimmers, McIntosh did enough on breaststroke to stay with the field and take over on freestyle, successfully clinching her third gold in Paris. It was a brilliant week, likely only the beginning of McIntosh’s domination of the sport.
“I’m always wanting more. I’m never satisfied, and I think that’s one of my strengths,” McIntosh said. “Obviously I’m very happy with the result. I couldn’t ask for that much more.”
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- DAY 1 PRELIMS RESULTS
- DAY 1 FINALS RESULTS
- DAY 2 PRELIMS RESULTS
- DAY 2 FINALS RESULTS
- DAY 3 PRELIMS RESULTS
- DAY 3 FINALS RESULTS
- DAY 4 PRELIMS RESULTS
- DAY 4 FINALS RESULTS
- DAY 5 PRELIMS RESULTS
- DAY 5 FINALS RESULTS
- DAY 6 PRELIMS RESULTS
- DAY 6 FINALS RESULTS
- DAY 7 PRELIMS RESULTS
- DAY 7 FINALS RESULTS
- DAY 8 PRELIMS RESULTS
- DAY 8 FINALS RESULTS
- DAY 9 FINALS RESULTS
Love to know what Summers split was on the freestyle leg. The last 15 meters she went past the American’s like she was turbocharged.
Was just looking for that online. Backstroke split as well.
It’s Summer Time!
Congratulations to her on a Wonderful Olympics!
Then Kaylee gets a Bronze to medal in all her events too.