PARIS -- Katie Ledecky didn't race Summer McIntosh on Saturday night at La Defense Arena, but the 17-year-old Canadian was still very much on her mind.
Even though nearly six months had passed since McIntosh had upset Ledecky in the 800-meter freestyle at a "dingy" pool at a "random meet in Orlando" (as the American referred to it), and Ledecky had just won Olympic gold in the event to make even more history, that February race clearly lived rent-free in her mind. Ledecky said the disappointment from the result had pushed her in practice every day since -- and she admitted it was almost a relief that McIntosh didn't compete in the event in Paris.
"Summer has had an incredible week, and I'm sure if she was in the race tonight, it just would've added to the level of that," Ledecky said. "So yeah, hats off to her and I think it definitely prepared me."
Of course, it's not just Ledecky who was thinking about McIntosh throughout the past week. The long-hyped prodigy had one of the best performances in the pool of the Games and became the first Canadian -- in any sport -- to win three individual gold medals in a single Summer Olympics in history.
Ultimately, McIntosh won the 200m butterfly, the 400m individual medley and then stood atop the podium again on Saturday night after storming back to win the 200m individual medley. She also earned silver in the 400m freestyle (edging out Ledecky, who took bronze) and ended the competition on Sunday with a fourth-place finish as part of the Canadian team in the 4x100 medley relay.
Already accustomed to expectations and results to match, a decidedly subdued McIntosh called the feat "surreal," but said she really hadn't had much time to think about what she had achieved when talking to reporters on Saturday night.
"After I touch the wall for the relay tomorrow, I'll probably be able to start celebrating more," McIntosh said. "I've just tried to stay as low key as possible and not overthink what I've done, and I think that's just what works for me. Not to get too caught up in the moment, but also try to enjoy it. But yeah, lots of time for celebrating once I get back to Canada."
While Ledecky and France's golden boy, Léon Marchand, dominated much of the headlines regarding the week in the pool, McIntosh proved she too is one of the sport's brightest stars, and one to watch for years to come.
THE DAUGHTER OF Canadian Olympic swimmer Jill Horstead, McIntosh was seemingly destined for the sport.
And it didn't take long for her to make a name for herself. After breaking one national age group record after another, McIntosh enjoyed a head-turning performance at Olympic trials to become the youngest member of the Canadian Olympic team in Tokyo as a 14-year-old. She didn't medal at those Games -- her first senior international meet -- but finished fourth in the 400m freestyle, putting the swimming world on notice.
By 2022, McIntosh had won the world titles in the 200m butterfly and 400m individual medley.
She broke her first world record, with a 3:56.08 in the 400m freestyle, the following year, and successfully defended her titles at the world championships. With the Olympics rapidly approaching, it became clear she had the chance to do something special.
But setting expectations and fulfilling them are two different things. And with McIntosh being just a teenager, she would have been more than excused for temporarily being overwhelmed by the pressure. But those who know her -- and train with her -- knew what she could accomplish.
"You can't say anything other than it was incredible," teammate Penny Oleksiak, the most decorated Canadian Olympian in history, told reporters after the 400m freestyle. "[She] went out and killed it. Just watching her through the week, and how she carries herself and how she's been preparing for this, it was everything we were expecting it would be."
In the 200m butterfly -- a race in which McIntosh's mother competed during the Games 40 years ago -- her time of 2:03.03 was good enough for a new Olympic record. Much like the buzz around Marchand, the comparisons of McIntosh to Michael Phelps have been swift. She and Marchand, 22, joined Phelps as the only swimmers in history to win both the 400m IM and the 200m butterfly at the Olympics. Saturday's 2:06.56 finish was also a new Olympic record. And with the gold, she tied Oleksiak's mark for the most medals at a single Games by a Canadian.
As soon as McIntosh stepped off the podium with the gold medal on Saturday, Bryan Adams' "Summer of '69" blared over the loudspeaker as she walked around for her victory lap. As she smiled and waved to fans, including on a screen set up so she could see members of her family and friends back home, Adams' song about the unbridled joy and unprecedented freedom of being a teenager in the summer prompted a singalong in some sections of the arena.
Oh, when I look back now
That summer seemed to last forever
And if I had the choice
Yeah, I'd always wanna be there
Those were the best days of my life
While she continued to pose with her medal for photographers and hug and high-five with those she knew in the stands (and some strangers), it would have been easy to think the song was about McIntosh -- her name is Summer, after all -- and her dominant, medal-collecting week in Paris.
Watching your kid become an Olympic champion is pure bliss. 🥹 #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/y85nrL32oU
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 4, 2024
McIntosh hadn't had time to reflect on what she had achieved later that night, but she did know the childhood version of herself -- the one who had just started swimming -- wouldn't have believed it. But McIntosh made it clear, she didn't believe these were necessarily the best days of her life, nor was she anywhere near done with her swimming career.
"Definitely would've been a bit of shock," McIntosh said. "I mean, I remember watching the 2016 Olympics and just being so inspired from everyone on Team Canada. Growing up since the age of 7 or 8, this has always been a dream of mine. To make an Olympic team and to now have medals to my name is pretty incredible.
"But yeah, just trying to keep continuing the momentum going forward. I mean, I still have lots of time in this sport ahead of me."