Summer McIntosh is the greatest upcoming female swimming star in the world.
She first caught the attention of the swimming community, including mine, when she was chosen for the Canadian National Team at the age of 14—the youngest on her team—to compete in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Being only 15 years old when the games occurred, nobody expected Summer to be able to compete with the high-caliber athletes she was racing against. I certainly didn’t. Olympic swimmers dedicate their lives to training; McIntosh didn’t have that kind of time.
But McIntosh did something unbelievable. She placed 4th in the 400m freestyle with a new Canadian record, only finishing behind the top 3 swimmers in that event: Ariarne Titmus, Katie Ledecky, and Li Bingje.
After her first Olympics were over, Summer established herself as a rising swimmer to look out for.
The Olympics were just the basic foundation for her to build off of. At the 2021 Short Course World Championships in Abu Dhabi, McIntosh made her first appearance a phenomenal one. She took silver in the 400 freestyle—swimming a time of 3:57.87— while also breaking another Canadian record in the 800 freestyle.
Fresh off of her first World Championships meet, McIntosh attended a prep meet in early 2022 before Canada’s official team trials meet. This is when she really started showing off her natural talent.
Summer swam the 400 IM in a time of 4:29.12, making her the third fastest person to swim that event all-time while also getting a World JRs cut. But she wasn’t done just yet. She swam the 200 fly in 2:05.81 the next day, breaking another Canadian record and getting another World JRs cut.
By the time the actual team trials meet, McIntosh took home the gold in the 400 free, 200 free, 200 fly, and 400 IM.
It wasn’t long before McIntosh’s impressive swims caught the attention of some of the top swim brands.
In June 2022, Funkita inked a deal with Summer, who was only 15 years old, to help support her in her training for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Funkita is an Australian brand known for finding and supporting talented upcoming swimmers.
But McIntosh wouldn’t be the decorated young swimmer she is today without the help of her mother. Summer’s mom was also an Olympic swimmer for the Canadian National Team at the 1984 Los Angeles Games and was the one who ignited her passion for swimming.
After attending the Canadian team trials in 2016—watching from the pool deck—McIntosh started swimming at the age of 8, dreaming of becoming just like her mother and making it to the Olympics.
I think it’s safe to say that McIntosh didn’t just become like her mother, but she surpassed her mother’s achievements.
On the first day of the 2023 Canadian World Trials, McIntosh shocked the world by breaking Ariarne Titmus’ world record in the 400 free—who she came fourth to at the Olympics—and setting a new record of 3:56.08.
Whether you only watch swimming during the occasional Olympic period or don’t watch it at all, be sure to be on the lookout for the name Summer McIntosh as she is in the process of becoming the best swimmer in the history of the sport.
