Summer McIntosh wins second gold medal at world championships
Posted July 30, 2023 8:44 am.
Last Updated July 30, 2023 11:50 am.
Canadian teenager Summer McIntosh should be a star at next year’s Paris Olympics, and she showed why Sunday on the closing day of the swimming world championships in Japan.
The 16-year-old McIntosh won her second gold of the event, taking the 400-metre individual medley after winning the 200 butterfly gold on Friday.
That made up for a slow start for the young Canadian, who finished fourth in the 400 free, where she held the world record until Australia’s Ariarne Titmus took it back. She also took bronze in the 200 free, at least getting a medal.
“Going into tonight I just wanted to see how hard I could push myself,” McIntosh said.
She did just that. Her time of 4 minutes, 27.11 seconds was the third fastest ever, not far off her world record of 4:25.87. She was also the defending world champion. American Katie Grimes took the silver in 4:31.41, with Jenna Forrester of Australia picking up the bronze in 4:32.30.
“It was definitely motivating,” McIntosh said of her first few days. “I try to turn everything that goes wrong into motivation somehow.”
Asked about Paris, she replied: “Right now I’m just thinking about a little break.”
Later, the Toronto native added a bronze medal, anchoring the 4×100-metre medley relay team.
Kylie Masse of LaSalle, Ont., Sophie Angus of Weston, Conn., and Maggie Mac Neil of London, Ont., joined McIntosh for the trip to the podium.
McIntosh now has eight career medals at the worlds, all in the last two years.
McIntosh should be joined by other young stars in Paris like 21-year-old Frenchman Leon Marchand and Australia’s 22-year-old Kaylee McKeown. Marchand and McKeown each won three individual golds.
Canada finished the worlds with six medals — two of each colour.
The Americans finished with seven golds and 38 overall. Australia finished with 13 gold and 20 overall, and China had five gold and 16 overall.
