SUMMER SIZZLER: On pace for Paris, McIntosh smashes her own world record at Olympic trials

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The calendar may still say May, but consider the summer of Summer officially launched after the latest scintillating effort from the young Canadian Olympian.

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With the start of Paris 2024 now a little more than two months away, this country’s newest superstar of the pool is surging like never before. And that is saying something.

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Summer McIntosh, the 17-year-old Toronto sensation, smashed her own world record in the 400 individual medley Thursday night, feeding off and delighting a sellout crowd at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre, many of them on hand hoping to witness the young phenom’s latest eye-popping effort.

From a 14-year-old medal winner in her Olympic debut in Tokyo, the Toronto native has been riding a three-year wave to global stardom and it has been on display all week here in her home town.

“Without question she’s one of the names mentioned as one of the top swimmers in the world,” John Atkinson, Swimming Canada’s high performance director and national coach, told the Toronto Sun.

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“I think she’s very, very driven, organized and professional in how she goes about things. She’s a mature young lady and you sometimes forget that she’s 17-years-old.”

She was all that and more in front of a packed and boisterous house cheering on a driven group of athletes that collectively is ushering Canadian swimmers back to prominence in the international scene.

Her time of four minutes, 24.38 seconds shattered the 4:25.87 mark she set 13 months ago and continued her ascent towards being one of the most watched athletes in Paris — regardless of nationality. That she did it with such calm efficiency, as she powerfully glided through the water in her latest impressive win this week, only adds to the spectacle that is unfolding.

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Even veteran teammates such as veteran Kylie Masse, a four-time Olympic medallist preparing for her third Games, was in awe of the latest Summer sizzler.

“It sounds crazy, but every time she dives into the pool we’re expecting something spectacular because that’s just the type of athlete she is,” said Masse, who won her second event in as many nights on Thursday, dominating the 100-metre backstroke and easily qualifying for Paris in the event.

“I think people don’t really realize how special it is because it just seems normal what she’s doing. But she is an incredible athlete and I hope people can recognize that and appreciate what they are seeing.

“I’m really thrilled for her and her career so far, but I know this is just the beginning.”

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As young as she is, McIntosh seems remarkably chill about where she is in her career, yet at the same time laser focused on what awaits this summer in her second Games.

If Tokyo was her introduction to the biggest stage in the world for her sport, Paris could see her emerge as a star of the show.

The Thursday effort was McIntosh’s third event win at these trials, following a dominant triumph in the 400 freestyle on Monday — the fastest time in the world to date in 2024, by the way — followed by an easy, breezy win in the 200 freestyle on Tuesday. She’ll attempt to add a fourth event on Friday when she attacks the 100-metre freestyle and will be in the mix for multiple relays in Paris.

As important as these Trials are for McIntosh and her teammates — both to earn their ticket to France and get a gauge on where they are in training — to hear her talk, she’s just getting started. Sure she was pleased with wiping out her own world record, but at least as encouraging is the fact she believes there is more in her tank.

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“It’s just under 10 weeks until Paris and that’s a lot of time to improve things,” McIntosh said. “I wasn’t really focused on the time. Obviously, I’m thrilled that I was able to break my own world record, but I was just trying to improve.”

Being youthful — not to mention having spent most of her winter grinding it out in training at her Sarasota base — McIntosh clearly fed off the atmosphere at the Pan Am pool, where the Olympic buzz has been running strong this week.

“Whenever I get to race in front of a big crowd I think it gives me a lift,” McIntosh said. “That complete adrenaline rush is awesome.”

It’s also a validation of what she has done in training, largely away from the attention she has received here and will throughout the buildup to the Games. To that end, McIntosh will return to the pool in Florida to meticulously prepare away from the pre-Olympics glare.

Swimming Canada will carefully manage McIntosh as the Games approach, trying to keep that focus that has helped get her to this point as one of her strengths.

“She’s been able to keep a wide vision on all of her events and what she needs to do to succeed and that’s very mature for an athlete of her age,” Atkinson said. “Her coach and her parents and her support team are all a part of how she’s developed and how she’s developing.”

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