By: Emily Ao

Monday night in the 400-meter medley, 17-year-old Summer McIntosh won her first Olympic gold medal. The young Canadian swimmer finished at 4:27:71, becoming the world record-holder for the event.

No one was surprised when McIntosh finished first. In fact, the athlete herself claimed that she had seen it coming when she was beginning her breaststroke leg. According to McIntosh, because of her confidence and preparation beforehand, she knew her win was coming, leading her to finish off her freestyle enjoyably.

McIntosh also told us that she had been through this so many times in many other events, making her unfazed by the conditions of the Olympics. “I have been doing this since I was 14,” McIntosh said. According to the New York Times, every time she is given the opportunity to swim in big events like this, she takes the time to figure out how to handle the situation both mentally and physically. That way, she doesn’t have to be so overwhelmed.

This is not McIntosh’s first medal of the Games – her first was a silver in the 400 meter freestyle. The other two swimmers that placed next to McIntosh were Australian Ariane Titmus and American Katie Ledecky. In past interviews, McIntosh mentioned that she grew up idolizing Titmus and Ledecky, and now, it must feel like a fever dream to stand in the spotlight with them.

Later this week, McIntosh and many other talented athletes will be competing in the 200 IM and 200 fly.