Summer McIntosh, of Canada, celebrates after winning the women's 400m medley final at the World Swimming Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, Sunday, July 30, 2023. Teen swimming sensation Summer McIntosh added another first place result to her resume Friday, winning the women's 100-metre butterfly at the Canadian Swimming Open. THE CANADIAN PRESS
Teen swimming sensation Summer McIntosh, hailing from Toronto, clinched another victory by securing the top spot in the women's 100-meter butterfly event at the Canadian Swimming Open. Competing at the Pan Am Sports Centre, the 17-year-old achieved a personal best time of 57.19 seconds, edging out defending Olympic champion Maggie Mac Neil from London, Ontario, by a mere 0.05 seconds. Mary-Sophie Harvey from Trois-Rivières, Quebec, secured the third position with a time of 58.05 seconds.
Expressing her admiration for Mac Neil, both in and out of the pool, McIntosh highlighted her inspiration drawn from Mac Neil's accomplishments, particularly her gold medal win at the Tokyo Olympics. McIntosh emphasized Mac Neil's influence, stating, "It’s so awesome to see how well she’s done. Since getting that gold medal at Tokyo, I’ve always been so inspired by her and she’s someone that I’ve always looked up to."
McIntosh, viewed as one of Canada's prime contenders for the upcoming Paris Olympics, showcased her prowess earlier in the week by recording the world's fastest time in the 200-meter freestyle event, completing the race in 1:54.21. Speaking about her performance at the Canadian Swimming Open, McIntosh expressed satisfaction with her focus on sprint events and refining her technique, reiterating her primary goal of aiming for success at the Paris Olympics.
The Canadian Swimming Open, a crucial event in the lead-up to the Olympics, is scheduled to continue until Saturday. Following this, the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic trials are slated to take place from May 13 to May 19 in Toronto.
