Editor’s notice: This text is a part of our “Origin Tales” collection, specializing in the backstories of athletes and subjects across the Summer season Olympics.
SARASOTA, Fla. — Summer season McIntosh even caught Billie Jean King’s consideration.
On the night of the ladies’s 400-meter freestyle last on the Toyota U.S. Open in Greensboro, N.C., McIntosh, the Canadian swimming prodigy, stepped as much as the beginning block. Beside her was American swimming legend Katie Ledecky.
It was the primary assembly between McIntosh and Ledecky for the reason that 2023 World Aquatics Championships, a conflict between two generations of swimmers. Ledecky, 26, is thought to be the best ladies’s swimmer of all time. McIntosh, 17, is a budding swimming sensation. Ledecky stays motivated so as to add to her achieved profession. The American has seven Olympic and 21 world championship gold medals. McIntosh’s profession is simply starting.
The buzzer sounded and the swimmers dove into the pool. Ledecky took the early benefit off the blocks. However on the first flip, McIntosh was out in entrance. She by no means misplaced the lead. By the 300m mark, McIntosh was a full physique size in entrance of Ledecky. As McIntosh powered her means via the ultimate 50 meters, she touched the wall, setting a brand new championship document within the 400m freestyle. McIntosh and Ledecky exchanged a quick congratulations earlier than getting out of the pool. This time, the Canadian had completed victorious.
5 days later, King — the tennis icon and gender equality champion — wrote a congratulatory notice on social media to McIntosh.
Historical past was made within the pool this previous weekend.
Cheers to Summer season McIntosh, who gained the 400m freestyle on the U.S. Open with a lightening quick time of three:59.42.
Her time beat the earlier U.S. Open meet document of three:59.71. https://t.co/HoJnRF7cRr
— Billie Jean King (@BillieJeanKing) December 5, 2023
“Historical past was made within the pool this previous weekend,” King mentioned on X, previously referred to as Twitter. “Cheers to Summer season McIntosh.”
McIntosh is already a four-time world champion and has set two world data in 2023. She’s charting a path towards greatness in swimming, simply as Ledecky did as an adolescent. Now, McIntosh’s expectations proceed to soar with the Paris 2024 Olympics seven months away.
It’s 5:45 a.m. in Sarasota, Fla. That is McIntosh’s wake-up name for her Tuesday morning apply. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday are McIntosh’s days when she swims twice. There are totally different wake-up calls. On Mondays, McIntosh will get up at 4:15 a.m. native time.
“I’m a deep sleeper, so calming alarms will slowly wake me up and never scare me at 4:15,” McIntosh mentioned.
McIntosh has breakfast earlier than going to the Selby Aquatic Middle, dwelling of the Sarasota Sharks swim crew that, for over 60 years, has developed swimmers for the state, nationwide and worldwide ranges. Referred to as the “shark tank,” that is the place McIntosh trains underneath coach Brent Arckey. On this early morning apply, McIntosh will get within the pool for a warmup earlier than doing a set of freestyle exercises. Follow is from 6:30 a.m. to eight:30 a.m. Then she returns dwelling for a nap earlier than her afternoon coaching session.
The early wakeups and the extraordinary coaching create a regimented schedule. As a lot as McIntosh embraces the preparation, she admits there are days when motivation isn’t as much as her customary.
“Motivation isn’t one thing that you simply at all times have each single day,” McIntosh mentioned. “It is available in waves. However I at all times have that self-discipline to irrespective of how I really feel once I get up, I get to the pool and I strive my hardest. … I simply maintain pushing ahead, and it’s these moments the place it’s important to keep disciplined as a result of it’s important to keep in mind your long-term targets after which it’s important to implement your short-term targets for that day.”
🇨🇦Summer season McIntosh dives into the pool.
Full pace freestyle.
Summer season gained bronze on the 2023 World Aquatics Championships within the 200m freestyle. #Paris2024 | #RoadToParis2024 pic.twitter.com/rpRs4SUBB3
— Lukas Weese (@Weesesports) November 7, 2023
That is how McIntosh prepares for Paris, and certain her subsequent main showdown with Ledecky.
For McIntosh, Ledecky isn’t simply any competitor. She’s the swimmer whose posters held on the wall in McIntosh’s childhood room in Etobicoke, Ontario, a Toronto suburb.
McIntosh was 5 when Ledecky gained her first Olympic gold at London 2012. Now, the 2 are swimming towards one another within the greatest races. What drew McIntosh to Ledecky was extra than simply their shared talents in long-distance swimming. It’s what McIntosh noticed in Ledecky’s character away from the pool.
“It doesn’t matter what one achieves in any sport, they’re simply individuals too,” McIntosh mentioned. “She’s only a very down-to-earth particular person. Attending to know her on a extra private stage, made me notice everybody goes via the human expertise. It made me see one other facet of somebody I’ve at all times idolized rising up.”
McIntosh additionally regarded as much as one other American, Michael Phelps, essentially the most embellished Olympian of all time. A number of years in the past, McIntosh watched the compilation of Phelps’ document eight gold-medal races on the Beijing 2008 Olympics. She even named certainly one of her three cats “Mikey,” after Phelps.
“He trusted the method and took it daily,” McIntosh mentioned on what she discovered from Phelps. “Even if you lack motivation on a day, you possibly can nonetheless be disciplined and get the duty completed.”
McIntosh is part of a profitable sports activities household. Her mother, Jill, was an Olympic swimmer on the Los Angeles 1984 Olympics. Her sister, Brooke, is a pairs ice skater. It’s been a meteoric rise for Summer season, who began swimming competitively at 8 years outdated. At 14, she was the youngest Canadian on the Tokyo 2020 crew. In her first world championship look, McIntosh gained gold within the 200m butterfly and 400m particular person medley. At 16, she set two world data on the 2023 Canadian Trials.
What fuels McIntosh? The will to be the perfect whereas possessing admirable character.
“Being a superb particular person is the No. 1 precedence, after which their sport,” Jill McIntosh mentioned. “I don’t suppose it could be a really enjoyable journey in case you didn’t really feel proud about who you had been concurrently excelling in your sport.”
As McIntosh jumped into the pool on March 28 on the Toronto Pan Am Sports activities Centre, little did she notice a world document was in play. She was competing within the 400m freestyle last at Canadian Trials. She glided via the pool, and as her lead grew, so did the group’s electrical vitality. She touched the wall with a time of three:56.08, breaking the world document.
As she bought out of the pool, the stoic McIntosh let loose her emotion. After her morning swim, she didn’t suppose she might set a world document. The photographs of McIntosh breaking the document and embracing Arckey are displayed within the coach’s workplace.
“That image of someone trying up on the scoreboard going, ‘Oh my God. I simply did one thing I didn’t suppose was doable, or I didn’t suppose I might do.’ I believe that’s why loads of us come to the pool day-after-day,” Arckey mentioned.
McIntosh grew to become the youngest to interrupt a world document in an Olympic program occasion since Ledecky in 2013. 4 days later, she additionally set a world document within the 400m particular person medley.
“I don’t suppose Summer season has digested that setting world data or private bests in each single occasion is so troublesome to do,” Jill mentioned in regards to the trials efficiency.
“I am simply so grateful for everybody that is helped me alongside the best way”
Dwell the second poolside, when Summer season McIntosh broke the 400m freestyle world document
Watch the 2023 Canadian Swimming Trials:https://t.co/Y7qrmB8FmA pic.twitter.com/PB3FMqtm6M
— CBC Olympics (@CBCOlympics) March 29, 2023
If the Canadian Trials showcased pure elation, the beginning of the 2023 world championships highlighted uncooked disappointment. On the opening finals session, McIntosh went up towards Ledecky and Australian celebrity Ariarne Titmus in a extremely anticipated 400m freestyle last. It was the primary time for the reason that Tokyo 2020 Olympics the trio competed in the identical race.
McIntosh completed fourth, lacking the rostrum. Titmus broke McIntosh’s world document to win gold, whereas Ledecky positioned second. A disappointing end result for the Canadian. Arckey gave her house.
“She was not joyful,” Arckey recollects.
The 2 had a protracted dialog. She nonetheless had a number of races remaining. McIntosh had a time without work earlier than she was again within the pool. It allowed her to clean away the unhealthy race and refocus on what lay forward. Regardless of the frustration, a number of swimmers reached out to McIntosh, providing phrases of encouragement. She was stunned on the outpouring of assist from the swimming neighborhood.
“‘Everyone seems to be being so good to me,’” Jill remembers Summer season telling her. “It’s all about respect. You need to have respect on your opponents.”
McIntosh went on to win two world championship gold medals, within the 200m butterfly and 400m IM. She gained bronze within the 200m freestyle and the 4x100m medley relay. Ending fourth within the 400 free was within the rearview.
“You study a lot from having unhealthy races,” McIntosh mentioned. “When I’ve a unfavourable expertise in a race, I attempt to flip it right into a optimistic expertise as a lot as doable. What I can get out of that’s studying the place I went flawed main as much as the race and within the race, studying to refine my focus and the self-discipline to execute my following races as a lot as doable.”
McIntosh will get a journey from certainly one of her teammates again to the “shark tank.” Within the automotive, Drake songs blast via the audio system. Earlier than she will get again within the pool, McIntosh completes 45 minutes of dry-land coaching. This entails lifting weights, burpees and burnout squats. All to enhance her power and conditioning within the water.
After, McIntosh jumps within the water for a two-hour pool session. In between units of freestyle, breaststroke and butterfly, McIntosh might be heard letting out amusing along with her teammates.
🇨🇦Summer season McIntosh’s butterfly.
World class.
The Canadian is the reigning world champion within the 200m butterfly. #Paris2024 | #RoadToParis2024 pic.twitter.com/pYj4KuxeLu
— Lukas Weese (@Weesesports) November 7, 2023
It’s about to be a life-changing seven months for McIntosh, culminating within the Olympics. She has an opportunity to develop into the following celebrity in long-distance swimming. If she wins a number of Olympic gold medals, she’s going to enter a brand new tier of Canadian athletic superstar. Just like fellow swimmer Penny Oleksiak (Canada’s most embellished Olympian) or sprinter Andre de Grasse. Which implies extra consideration.
With coaching full, McIntosh will get out of the water on the shark tank. She says hiya to a younger swimmer about to get within the pool for apply. The solar units over the ability as McIntosh exits. With the Olympics on the horizon, the Canadian’s highlight continues to develop.
(Prime photograph of Summer season McIntosh displaying off her gold medal from the 400-meter particular person medley on the 2023 world championships: Nikola Krstic / BSR Company / Getty Photographs)