Summer McIntosh first drew international attention at the Olympics in 2021 when she was the youngest member of the Canadian team to travel to Tokyo aged just 14. Summer just missed the podium in the Japanese capital with a fourth-place finish in the 400m freestyle and 4 x 200m freestyle relay, but it heralded the arrival in global waters of a generational talent.
She won her first world long-course title a year later in Budapest with gold in the 400m individual medley and 200m butterfly where victory was accompanied by a new entry in the history books. At 15 years 308 days, Summer was the youngest world champion and is the youngest Canadian to win world gold.
“It means a lot,” she said. “It’s one of my biggest dreams in the swimming world to become world champion and especially to do it in the 200 fly is something I’ve always wanted to do as it’s one of my favourite events.”
Since then, Summer has stood atop the Olympic, world and Commonwealth podiums. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Summer won four medals – three golds and one silver – and set two Olympic records in the 200m butterfly (2:03.03) and 200m individual medley (2:06.56). In the 400m individual medley, she enjoyed a 5.69-second margin of victory.
Her medals and record-breaking swims in Paris marked one of the greatest performances by a female swimmer at a single Olympics. Her versatility — excelling in freestyle, butterfly, and individual medley — showcased the depth of her swimming program. And at 17, she was only getting started.
She went on to set world records in the 400m freestyle and the 200 and 400m individual medley over five days at the Canadian trials in 2025. She is the second fastest all-time in the 200m butterfly and 800m freestyle and fifth in the 200m freestyle. She also holds short-course world records in the 400m freestyle, 200m butterfly and 400m individual medley.
Summer left the World Championships in Singapore with five medals, four of them gold in 400m freestyle, 200m butterfly and 200m and 400m individual medley.
Summer is widely regarded as the overall #1 female swimmer in the world and intends to keep pushing the boundaries of the sport into the future.
