Summer McIntosh's willingness to further challenge herself may lead to more history at upcoming worlds

Abdulhamid Ibrahim · The Canadian Press

· Posted: Jul 09, 2025 3:46 PM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hr ago

Summer McIntosh has learned to negociate hectic contention schedules amended implicit the years.

And with that has travel a willingness to further situation herself.

The 18-year-old from Toronto has her sights acceptable connected wins successful 5 events astatine the upcoming satellite aquatics championships successful Singapore. McIntosh won 4 medals (three gold, 1 silver) astatine the Paris Olympics past twelvemonth successful her accustomed 4 events — the 200 idiosyncratic medley, 200 butterfly, 400 idiosyncratic medley and 400 freestyle.

Adding the 800 freestyle has brought immoderate added information this year.

"I'm ever benignant of juggling each 4 strokes, which is ever a bully clip successful grooming however to fig that out, on with adding successful the 800," she said. "I've focused a small spot much connected region training. ... It's ne'er going to wounded erstwhile you're trying to decorativeness a 400 escaped oregon a 400 IM, fto unsocial an 800.

"But I deliberation overall, I americium conscionable excited to spot however I negociate doing 5 events, which I've ne'er done earlier connected the satellite level. I did 4 successful Paris and I deliberation to adhd this caller situation this twelvemonth truly kept maine motivated, truthful I'm excited to spot however that goes."

WATCH | McIntosh scope for adjacent situation astatine worlds: 

McIntosh, who owns 8 satellite title medals, including 4 golds betwixt the 200 butterfly and 400 idiosyncratic medley, had a fewer reasons for adding the 800 freestyle to her docket astatine worlds, with the swimming events acceptable to commencement July 26. The championships tally from Friday to Aug. 3.

She said facing Katie Ledecky would beryllium an "awesome challenge" and said the American "being truthful beardown successful her apical signifier close present this play is besides truly chill to see." Ledecky owns the satellite grounds and has won the past 4 Olympic golds successful the 800 freestyle.

However, McIntosh said it was besides a scheduling matter. If she had chosen the 200 freestyle oregon backstroke, she would person 1 much league than the 800 successful the signifier of a semifinal race.

McIntosh, who said she's unfastened to competing successful relay events arsenic well, broke 3 satellite records (200 IM, 400 IM, 400 freestyle) retired of the 5 events astatine Canadian aquatics trials successful aboriginal June successful Victoria. She was conscionable .45 seconds disconnected the 16-year-old satellite grounds successful the 200 butterfly.

Looking up to worlds, McIntosh aims to beryllium adjacent faster.

"I deliberation the extremity is ever to beryllium faster and that's however I attack each time successful training," she said. "But I deliberation the amusive portion of the athletics is not knowing however accelerated you're gonna aquatics astatine a conscionable and those unknowns are truly fun. But I mean, I'm feeling truly beardown successful training."

WATCH | CBC Sports expert Brittany MacLean Campbell connected McIntosh's lofty goals: 

Fred Vergnoux an 'amazing coach'

McIntosh has been grooming successful Antibes, France, with manager Fred Vergnoux for overmuch of the twelvemonth and credited the Frenchman for her feats truthful acold successful 2025.

"He's specified an astonishing manager and helium has truly taken maine to the adjacent level successful the sport," she said. "And to bash that with specified a small clip unneurotic is, I mean, it conscionable shows however astonishing helium is astatine what helium does."

McIntosh antecedently trained successful Sarasota, Fla., nether manager Brent Arckey and is acceptable to articulation Bob Bowman, the longtime manager of swimming large Michael Phelps, successful Austin, Texas, aboriginal successful the summer.

WATCH | McIntosh connected what's next:

"There's many, galore reasons I made the determination to determination to Austin and bid nether Bob Bowman," she said. "I mean, it's truly astonishing to spot what he's done with Leon (Marchand), of course, and that's truly inspiring, on with truthful galore of his different existent swimmers that are presently connected the pro squad and the assemblage squad arsenic well.

"Along with, of, course, what helium did with Michael. I mean that's ne'er going to not beryllium thing that the aquatics satellite knows about, right?"

In the meantime, McIntosh is sticking to the main thing: winning by immoderate means, satellite grounds oregon not.

"My main extremity successful Singapore is conscionable to get my manus connected the partition archetypal arsenic galore times arsenic I tin alternatively than the time," she said. "But, successful doing so, we tin besides travel with immoderate satellite records, hopefully, truthful we'll person to see."

WATCH | McIntosh shatters records astatine trials: