PARIS – Summer McIntosh laid the foundation for her ambitious Olympic swim program in Paris with a silver medal in the women’s 400-metre freestyle on Saturday’s opening day at the pool.
The 17-year-old Toronto teenager claimed the first Olympic medal of her career and Canada’s first of the 2024 Olympic Games.
The world-record holder in the 400 individual medley will compete in her specialty on Monday followed by the 200-metre butterfly, and 200-metre IM later in the week. McIntosh is also expected to join the 4×200 freestyle relay squad.
“Going into tonight, I just wanted to put my best foot forward and race as hard as I could,” McIntosh said. “I’m pretty happy with the result.
“I mean, the Olympics is always pretty nerve-wracking. There’s a lot of anticipation going into each race, so kind of learning how to deal with that and also kind of feed off the crowd.”
A 14-year-old McIntosh was fourth in the 400 free three years ago in Tokyo where Australia’s Ariarne Titmus denied Katie Ledecky of the United States a repeat.
Titmus defended her crown Saturday by pushing the pace off the blocks and taking an early lead that the 23-year-old never relinquished.
McIntosh in the next lane ran second the entire distance. Ledecky, 27, faded at the end to finish over a body length behind McIntosh for bronze and the 11th medal of the American’s career.
Ledecky, McIntosh and Titmus took turns holding the world record recently with Titmus carrying the standard of three minutes 55.38 from the 2023 world championship into Saturday’s final.
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McIntosh’s 3:56.08 at the 2023 national trials bested Ledecky’s mark set in 2022. McIntosh held the record for four months in 2023 until Titmus beat it.
So the final was hyped as a three-way showdown between the seasoned Ledecky, Titmus in her prime and the upstart Canadian teenager.
None of the three women came close to their personal best times in the temporary modular “Myrtha” pool at the La Defense Arena in the western suburbs of Paris.
Titmus touched the wall in 3:57.49, McIntosh in 3:58.37 and Ledecky in 4:00.86.
But the moment wasn’t too big for McIntosh, however, as she raced hard and smart to ascend the podium.
“This is a big weight off her shoulders,” said McIntosh’s coach Brent Arckey. “A young one getting her first Olympic medal is a big deal.
“That was a big step forward for her and I know she feels that way as well. Hope it’s just a jumping off point here for the rest of the week.”
Ledecky, owner of seven Olympic gold medals, expects a lot from McIntosh her junior by a decade.
“She’s such an impressive athlete,” Ledecky said. “Somebody that can swim multiple distances, multiple strokes, is such a racer. So poised at this level.
“She’s going to have a phenomenal week, a phenomenal career.”
Recovery is key to a multi-medal performance over a long haul, McIntosh’s post-race interviews were cut short and she didn’t attend the medallists’ news conference.
“Now it’s keeping her fresh, keeping her recovered and mentally sharp,” Arckey said. “It’s a long road, but we’ve trained for this.”
McIntosh had barely 45 minutes, however, between the 400 free and joining Canada’s 4×100 freestyle relay team in the final.
After accepting her medal, McIntosh immediately returned to the deck wearing her podium garb, which contrasted with the national team gear worn by teammates Maggie Mac Neil, Penny Oleksiak and Taylor Ruck.
“Definitely tried to appreciate the moment as much as I could because Olympic medals don’t come around too often, but at the same time I had to mentally and physically prepare myself going into the relay,” McIntosh said.
Canada’s women won relay silver three years ago, but they were a distant fourth behind the United States, Australia and China respectively. Oleksiak swimming the anchor leg had too much ground to make up for a medal.
“We’re a little disappointed,” Oleksiak said. “We wanted that medal and we were really fighting for it.
“It’s all part of the experience. You’ve got to have some lows with the highs. We’re all just excited for this week. We have so many good races coming up and there’s just more to stay tuned in for.”
Reigning women’s 100-metre butterfly champion Mac Neil will race for the podium again Sunday. She tied for the fourth-fastest time in Saturday’s semifinals.
“I think it’s within like a 100th (of a second) of what I went in the semi in Tokyo, so I’ll take it with tomorrow to go,” Mac Neil said.
The 4×100 men’s relay team of Finlay Knox, Yuri Kisil, Javier Acevedo and Josh Liendo finished sixth.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 27, 2024.
© 2024 The Canadian Press