After clinching three individual swimming gold medals at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris and matching a women’s record with four at last year’s world championships in Singapore, Summer McIntosh is aiming for an even greater feat at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
The Canadian sensation is aiming to secure five individual gold medals, a feat that only the legendary Michael Phelps has accomplished in a single Games during his iconic eight-gold-medal triumph in 2008 in Beijing.
During a recent flight to southern California, the 19-year-old from Toronto was filled with excitement as she caught a glimpse of SoFi Stadium, which will be transformed into the largest Olympic swimming venue ever, capable of hosting around 38,000 spectators.
“It was an amazing moment,” McIntosh shared with CBC Sports’ Devin Heroux. “Flying over that stadium, I was envisioning what I aspire to achieve there.”
This week, McIntosh’s journey towards success in L.A. leads her to nearby Irvine, California, for the Pan Pacific championships.
The Pan Pacs, held roughly every four years, serve as a counterpart to the European championships, which are concurrently taking place in Paris. Notable swimming powerhouses like Australia and the United States, along with Japan, Brazil, South Africa, China, and Canada, participate in the Pan Pacific championships.
The Pan Pacs, which have resumed after a hiatus since 2018 due to the Covid pandemic, commenced with the 10-kilometer open-water events along the Pacific coast in Long Beach. Canadian Olympian Emma Finlin performed admirably, finishing 13th in the women’s race.
The main competitions will kick off in an outdoor pool in Irvine, where McIntosh leads a team of 42 Canadian athletes competing over four days. The squad includes Taylor Ruck, Sophie Angus, Oliver Dawson, Lorne Wingginton, Kylie Masse, and Josh Liendo, among others.
All eyes are on McIntosh, who is set to participate in four events over the course of the championship. She will start with the 200m freestyle, followed by the 400m individual medley, the 400m freestyle, and the 200m individual medley on subsequent days.
While swimming in five events might have better tested McIntosh’s Olympic aspirations, she opted not to compete in the 800m freestyle and the 200m butterfly to focus on her other events. Coached by Bob Bowman, Phelps’ former trainer, McIntosh is determined to excel in her chosen races at the Pan Pacs.
McIntosh holds world records and reigning world champion titles in her three other events at the Pan Pacific championships. She is prepared to face international contenders like Katie Ledecky, Lanni Pallister, Bobby Finke, Kate Douglass, and Gretchen Walsh, who are set to showcase their skills at the prestigious competition.
Viewers can catch all the action from the Pan Pacs live on the CBC Gem streaming app and CBC Sports website. The morning heats begin at 1 p.m. ET, with the finals scheduled for 10 p.m. ET each day.
