By: Matthew Wang

During the ongoing 2024 Paris Olympics, [when exactly—specific date] Summer McIntosh dominated her competition in the 400 meter individual medley, winning her first Olympic gold medal of her career.

Her victory came at a surprisingly large margin, hitting the wall more than two and a half seconds before Katie Grimes of the USA, the silver medal winner. According to The Olympics publication,, when asked about whether she noticed her lead, she said, “Yes, I did, I mean I don’t see anything until the breaststroke when I took a look around to make sure I was in the lead.” However, this result was far from surprising, since she currently holds a world record in the 400 meter medley.

This latest achievement has been the cumulation of several previous competitions, having competed in the Tokyo Olympics among others such as the 2021 Word Short Course Championships. This gave her the experience to control herself during these global competitions. In an interview by the New York Times, McIntosh said,“I have been doing this since I was 14. Every single time I get to race on the world stage, I learned more and more about handling (it) mentally and physically and emotionally.” With this mentality, McIntosh was able to stay cool and composed, focused solely on her goals.

With her great achievement at just 17, McIntosh has become an idol and a model to many, including to her own team. According to an interview by the New York Times, her teammate Kylie Masse said that, “She’s an inspiration to everyone, 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.” Interestingly enough, McIntosh herself grew up idolizing Olympic swimmers Katie Ledecky, who holds the record for most Olympic medals for any female athlete, and Michael Phelps, who hold the record for most individual Olympic gold medals, individual Olympic medals, and Olympic gold medals.

Now after achieving her gold, she too has become a model to the rest of the world like her two childhood idols, Ledecky and Phelps. As the Summer Olympic games go on, it is for the future to tell what achievements McIntosh will accomplish, both now and throughout her prosperous future career.