Summer McIntosh

View Current photo via Courtesy of Jack Spitser

Summer McIntosh is an Olympic swimmer, world record holder and world champion who broke over 50 Canadian age-group records by age 15.

International Career

2021 Olympic Trials

Even before Canada’s Olympic Trials in 2021, McIntosh registered a head-turning swim that would eventually qualify her for her first Olympics. The then 14-year-old McIntosh swam a 4:05.13 on May 27, 2021, which was a major PB and a new Canadian Age Group Record. In the absence of any FINA A cuts in the women’s 400 free final at the Trials on Day 1, Swimming Canada had the discretion to name McIntosh to the team based on her result from a few weeks ago, which they ultimately would after Summer qualified for the team outright.

On Day 2 of Trials, McIntosh swam the 200 free, beating her training partner and 100 free Olympic champion Penny Oleksiak to win in 1:56.19. The following day, McIntosh added to her event lineup with a win in the 800 free in another PB of 8:29.49. McIntosh, at 14, was the youngest person named to the Canadian Olympic team that year.

2020 Olympic Games

In Tokyo, McIntosh continued to improve. In the 400 free, she placed 4th in the final, clocking a 4:02.42 for a new Canadian national record. In the 200 free, she advanced out of prelims with a 1:56.11 (another PB), but placed 9th in the semi-final (1:56.82), just missing the final.

In the 4×200 free relay, she led off for Canada in another PB, 1:55.77, helping them to a 4th place finish in the final in a new Canadian record (7:43.77). In her last event, the 800 free, she placed 11th in the prelims (8:25.04) and did not advance to the final.

2021 Short Course World Championships

In Abu Dhabi, McIntosh earned her first major international medals. Individually, she won silver in the 400 free, touching at 3:57.87. She also swam prelims of the 800 free early in the meet, breaking the Canadian record at 8:13.37, but scratched the final to focus on the rest of her meet.

McIntosh helped Canada to gold and a new America’s record in the 4×200 free relay with a 1:54.30 lead-off leg as well as a silver in the 4×100 medley relay by swimming the freestyle leg in the prelims.

World Jr Records/2022 Canadian Trials

McIntosh once again had an eye-popping swim in 2022 before Canada’s major trials in April. At a trials prep meet in March, she became the #3 performer of all-time in the 400 IM, clocking a 4:29.12 and dipping under the world jr record to boot (however, it was not ratified by FINA so it will not officially count). But she didn’t stop there, when just the next day, she broke another Canadian and world jr record, this time the 200 fly at 2:05.81.

McIntosh followed this up with a massive Trials performance, winning the 400 free (4:01.59) on day 1, the 200 free (1:55.39) on day 3, the 200 fly (2:07.60) on day 4, and the 400 IM (4:34.86) on day 5.

First Major Suit Deal

On June 10, 2022, Summer announced she had signed with Funkita, marking her first major sponsorship deal at 15 years old.

2022 World Championships

In her first finals swim in Budapest, McIntosh made history. She became the youngest woman ever (and only 4th woman ever) to dip under the 4:00 mark, clocking 3:59.39 to take silver behind Katie Ledecky.

McIntosh’s next individual event was the 200 Fly, where she not only moved comfortably to the final but did so as the top seed, breaking her own world jr record in semis with a 2:05.79. In the final on day 5, she continued to drop, clocking a 2:05.20 to capture gold and her first world title. Later in that session, McIntosh led off Canada’s bronze medal 4×200 free relay in 1:54.79, another PB, jr world record, and time fast enough to win the women’s individual event.

On the last day of the meet, Summer competed in the 400 IM, where she battled fiercely with USA’s Katie Grimes. McIntosh ultimately came to the wall first, touching in 4:32.04 to earn her 2nd world title and world junior record of the week.

2023 Canadian Trials

One Day 1 of the 2023 Canadian World Trials after cruising a 4:08 400m free prelims swim, Summer McIntosh shocked the world by dropping a 3:56.08 world record, cutting over .3 off of Ariarne Titmus’ old mark of 3:56.40.

McIntosh, by consequence, also broke Titmus’ Commonwealth Record, her own Canadian Record, and Katie Ledecky’s World Junior Record.

Former Records:

  • World Record – Ariarne Titmus, Australia, 3:56.40 (2022 Australian Championships)
  • Commonwealth Record – Ariarne Titmus, Australia, 3:56.40 (2022 Australian Championships)
  • Canadian National/Age Group Record – Summer McIntosh, 3:59.32 (2022 Commonwealth Games)
  • World Junior Record – Katie Ledecky, USA, 3:58.37 (2014 Pan Pac Championships)
  • Americas Record – Katie Ledecky, USA, 3:56.46 (2016 Summer Olympics)

SPLITS COMPARISON:

McIntosh was super-aggressive in the first half of the race. She was already seven-tenths up on the World Record pace at the 100, and by the halfway mark she was more than a second ahead of World Record pace.

She gave a lot of that back on the back-half of the race, but had more-than-enough room to still clear the record.

McIntosh’s first 200 meter split of 1:55.91 would have won a bronze medal at last year’s World Championships.

SUMMER MCINTOSH ARIARNE TITMUS KATIE LEDECKY KATIE LEDECKY
New WR Old WR #2 All-Time Old WJR
Previous Canadian Record
50m 27.34 27.58 27.73 27.85 28.08
100m 29.12 (56.46) 29.55 (57.13) 29.32 (57.05) 30.02 (57.87) 30.14 (58.22)
150m 29.65 29.70 29.94 30.04 30.42
200m 29.80 (59.45) 30.16 (59.86) 30.12 (60.06) 30.39 (60.43) 30.52 (60.94)
250m 29.65 30.11 30.30 30.07 30.29
300m 30.28 (59.93) 30.27 (60.38) 30.21 (60.51) 30.37 (60.44) 30.30 (60.59)
350m 30.26 29.75 29.92 30.33 30.09
400m 29.98 (60.24) 29.28 (59.03) 28.92 (58.84) 29.30 (59.63) 29.48 (59.57)
3:56.08 3:56.40 3:56.46 3:58.37 3:59.32

On the second last night of the 2023 Canadian Swimming Trials, Summer McIntosh swam to victory in the 400 IM with a 4:25.87, setting a new world record. This swim got her under Katinka Hosszu‘s time of 4:26.36.

Prior to this swim, McIntosh held the world junior, Canadian, and Commonwealth records as well, which she has now reset once again.

Splits Comparison

MCINTOSH – 2023 MCINTOSH – 2022 HOSSZU – 2016
100 59.47 59.40 1:00.91
200 2:06.39 (1:06.92) 2:08.20 (1:08.80) 2:08.39 (1:07.48)
300 3:25.31 (1:18.92) 3:27.46 (1:19.26) 3:24.50 (1:16.11)
400 4:25.86 (1:00.56) 4:28.61 (1:01.15) 4:26.36 (1:01.86)

 

2023 World Aquatics Championsips (Fukuoka, Japan)

McIntosh was one of the favorites as the World record holder coming into Worlds. McIntosh was 2nd in the 400 free final through the 300 but a sluggish last 100 of 1:01.59 saw her fade to 4th. She was 3:59.94, a distant 4.56 seconds back of Ariarne Titmus’s World Record of 3:55.38.

After a disappointing 400 free, McIntosh seemed to channel her energy into the 200 free. She was a relaxed 1:55.88 in prelims for 2nd and a better 1:54.91 in semis for 3rd. In the final, McIntosh swam a controlled race, with all her splits under 29 seconds; she was the only one in the field to do so. It was enough for a best time of 1:53.65, a new world junior record, and bronze. This is the fastest podium in the history of the 200 free with all three swimmers under 1:54 (Mollie O’Callaghan in 1:52.85 and Titmus in 1:53.01 for gold and silver) and a 4th swimmer, Siobhan Haughey off the podium despite a sub 1:54 swim.

She took on the 200 fly on the same day as the 200 free final. She was a solid 2:07.91 for 3rd in prelims. On the back of a tough double with the 200 free final, she was a solid 2:06.85 for 3rd in semis. Without the 200 free to tire her out in the 200 fly final, McIntosh flew out quickly in 58.97 at the 100. She was a little off her WJR pace through the 150 but came home in 32.59 to score the Gold and a new WJR of 2:04.06.

In the 400 IM, McIntosh eased through prelims with a 4:36.57. She was brilliant in the final, leading wire to wire and posting the fastest splits on fly, back, and the 2nd 50 of free. All this combined to a 4:27.11 to smash the championship record. 

On the relays, McIntosh was similarly spotty at the start, she was a meer 54.99 leading off Canada’s 400 free relay that was 7th. By the time the 800 free relay came around, McIntosh had found her rhythm and threw down a 1:53.97 split but the Canadian relay, weaked without some stalwarts, was 5th. McIntosh made up for her 100 free lead-off disaster with a solid 53.48 to anchor canada to a bronze in the 400 medley.

International Medals

Place Event Year Meet
Gold 200 Fly 2022 World Championships
Gold 400 I.M. 2022 World Championships
Silver 400 Free 2022 World Championships
Bronze 800 Freestyle Relay 2022 World Championships
Gold 200 Fly 2023 World Championships
Gold 400 I.M. 2023 World Championships
Bronze 200 Free 2023 World Championships
Bronze 400 Medley Relay 2023 World Championships
Gold 800 Freestyle Relay 2021 Short Course World Championships
Silver 400 Free 2021 Short Course World Championships
Silver 400 Medley Relay 2021 Short Course World Championships

Best Times

Course Event Time Date Meet
lcm 200 Free 1:53.65 07/26/23 2023 World Aquatics Championships
Fukuoka, Japan
lcm 400 Free 3:56.08 03/28/23 2023 Canadian Trials
Toronto, Canada
lcm 800 Free 8:20.19 02/09/23 2023 FL Southern Zone South Sectional Championships
Orlando, Florida
lcm 200 Back 2:07.15 12/03/22 2022 Toyota US Open
Greensboro, North Carolina
lcm 200 Fly 2:04.06 07/27/23 2023 World Aquatics Championships
Fukuoka, Japan
lcm 200 IM 2:06.89 03/30/23 2023 Canadian Trials
Toronto, Canada
lcm 400 IM 4:25.87 04/01/23 2023 Canadian Trials
Toronto, Canada
scm 200 Free 1:52.63 11/04/22 2022 World Cup
Indianapolis, Indiana
scm 400 Free 3:52.80 10/28/22 2022 World Cup
Toronto, Canada
scm 800 Free 8:07.12 11/05/22 2022 World Cup
Indianapolis, Indiana
scm 200 Fly 2:03.40 11/03/22 2022 World Cup
Indianapolis, Indiana
scm 200 IM 2:06.57 10/30/22 2022 World Cup
Toronto, Canada
scm 400 IM 4:21.49 10/29/22 2022 World Cup
Toronto, Canada
scy 100 Free 47.88 12/10/22 2022 Winter Jr Championships - East
Greensboro, North Carolina
scy 200 Free 1:40.63 12/09/22 2022 Winter Jr Championships - East
Greensboro, North Carolina
scy 500 Free 4:27.52 12/08/22 2022 Winter Jr Championships - East
Greensboro, North Carolina
scy 200 Back 1:49.97 12/10/22 2022 Winter Jr Championships - East
Greensboro, North Carolina
scy 100 Fly 51.10 12/09/22 2022 Winter Jr Championships - East
Greensboro, North Carolina
scy 200 Fly 1:51.40 12/10/22 2022 Winter Jr Championships - East
Greensboro, North Carolina
Summer McIntosh (photo: Jack Spitser) Summer McIntosh (photo: Jack Spitser) courtesy of Way Funky Company Summer McIntosh (photo: Jack Spitser) Summer McIntosh (photo: Jack Spitser) Courtesy Michael P. Hall/Swimming Canada Summer McIntosh Courtesy of Swimming Canada/Gerard Richardson