More mature McIntosh getting big boost from Paris crowds

PARIS—A Tokyo Games stripped of fans and strangled by COVID-19 health protocols was a tough mental task for 14-year-old Summer McIntosh on her Olympic debut, but three years on, the Canadian teen is savoring the Paris buzz.

One of the world’s most hyped swimmers since qualifying for Tokyo and finishing fourth in the 400-meter freestyle, McIntosh proved she is the real deal on Saturday by claiming her first Olympic medal with silver behind Australia’s back-to-back champion Ariarne Titmus.

Paris 2024 Olympics – Swimming – Women’s 400m Individual Medley – Heats – Paris La Defense Arena, Nanterre, France – July 29, 2024. Summer McIntosh of Canada in action. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne

On Monday, world record holder McIntosh eased into the women’s 400-m individual medley (IM) final and is the red-hot favorite to win it in the evening session.

The raucous crowds packing the La Defense Arena every session have given McIntosh an extra spur compared to the somber Tokyo mood.“To be honest, I think the Tokyo Olympics was way harder mentally, being pretty young, at the same time having no one in the stands, for obvious reasons,” McIntosh, who is one of the stars of the Canadian team, told reporters after winning her morning heat.“And it kind of was actually my first international meet—senior national meet or junior.“So learning to manage that was definitely something that took a lot of practice.

“But now having everyone up in the stands and feeding off the energy of the crowd actually makes the race go by faster and it makes it a little bit easier.”

McIntosh kept plenty in reserve in the heats, with a time of four minutes and 37.35 seconds, some 13 seconds off her world record, to qualify third fastest for the final behind Americans Emma Weyant (4:36.27) and Katie Grimes (4:37.24).

Conserving her energy will be important as she works her way through a heavy load as a top contender in the women’s 200-m butterfly and 200 IM events.

“I try to treat every day on my racing like Day 1,” she said. “It is a very long [program] to me, but the way to manage those things is just by trying to recover as much as possible, also mentally resting and preparing at the same time for my following races.” —Reuters

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