By: Shawn  Wang

17-year-old Canadian swimmer, Summer McIntosh just won her first Olympic gold medal on Monday night in the women’s 400 meter, finishing with a time of 4:27:71. McIntosh is the world record holder and two time world champion, so while this result isn’t surprising, her time is still very impressive. McIntosh said she first realized how far ahead she was at the start of the breaststroke leg, and by the end she knew that she was going to win her first gold medal. After the race, she was very calm, as she usually is. She competed in the Tokyo Olympics three years ago, getting fourth place in the women’s 400 free.“I have been doing this since I was 14,” McIntosh said. “Every single time I get to race on the world stage, I learned more and more about handling (it) mentally and physically and emotionally.

McIntosh grew up wishing to be like Micheal Philips and Ledecky. She had a poster of Ledecky in her room and even named her cat ‘Mikey’ after Philips. And now she is standing on an Olympic stage, just like her idols. “She’s an inspiration to everyone,” said her teammate Kylie Masse. “For so many young swimmers in Canada to be able to see her and see her success here on the international stage, (they’ll know) that they can dream big and continue to do whatever they put their mind to.” Later this week, McIntosh will swim and be a top contender in both the 200 meter and the 200 meter butterfly.

Sources: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5665678/2024/07/29/summer-mcintosh-olympic-swimming-canada-gold-medal/?source=nyt_sports