PARIS: Canadian prodigy Summer McIntosh said she was “soaking up the moment” after the 17-year-old swimmer won her first Olympic gold medal in style on Monday.
World record holder McIntosh produced a dominant 400m swim in Paris, clocking the fourth fastest time ever.
She reached the wall in 4 minutes, 27.71 seconds, ahead of American pair Katie Grimes (4:33.40) and Emma Weyant (4:34.93).
It was the Toronto swimmer’s second Paris medal after she edged out Katie Ledecky to claim silver behind Australian star Ariarne Titmus in the 400m freestyle.
“I’m just trying to soak up the moment as much as I can because obviously these moments only come around every four years. So I’m just trying to make Team Canada proud,” she said.
McIntosh’s journey to the top began at the pandemic-delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympics, where she broke through as a 14-year-old when she finished fourth in the 200m freestyle behind winner Titmus.
Now in her second Games, she feels like a veteran and said her Japanese experience has helped her better handle the big events.
“Every time I race on the world stage, I learn more and more about how to handle it, mentally, physically and emotionally, and try not to get too high or too low, depending on my race results,” she said.
Weyant praised the teenager for her calmness and dedication.
“She certainly set an impressive standard,” Weyant said. “He’s training with my old club team so he’s in good hands. He’s going on to do impressive things.”
The Canadian is also the favorite for the 200m breaststroke and a serious contender for the 200m butterfly.
“I just hope to try to inspire as many young kids as possible and I hope they know that,” McIntosh said.
“If I can do it, so can they.” And now that I’m here eight years later, I hope to inspire them as much as possible.”
