Summer McIntosh is CP’s female athlete of the year

Summer McIntosh’s continued assault on the international swimming podium in 2023 made her The Canadian Press female athlete of the year.

“I’m very honoured to have it and it’s just really cool,” McIntosh said of the award.

A talent for swimming fast combined with poise beyond her years has the Toronto teenager tracking for a monstrous 2024.

A couple weeks shy of her 17th birthday, McIntosh defended her world titles in the 200-metre butterfly and 400-metre individual medley in Fukuoka, Japan, to become a double world champion in back-to-back years.

“What I’m most proud of is just how much I’ve learned about myself and kind of how much I’ve gained from each experience,” McIntosh said.

“Going into big meets like a world championship, I don’t really have exact expectations of myself especially when it comes to placement or medals, but I definitely tried to just reach my full potential in each one of my races and I think I did that for the most part.”

After placing fourth in the 400-metre freestyle in Fukuoka in her first race — she was a silver medallist in 2022 — McIntosh rallied with a bronze in the 200 free before climbing to the top of the podium in her next two races.

“I needed to learn how to get back up just after a race that I wasn’t happy with,” she said.

“Mentally and physically repairing myself and getting ready for the next race was super-important. That was my first race of the meet. I had lots of other opportunities to do well so I kind of just put it behind me and kept moving forward.”

She capped her four-medal meet swimming the freestyle anchor leg to help the women’s medley relay team take bronze and qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

Two world records at Canadian trials in March set the stage for her banner world championship.

Summer McIntosh, of Canada, competes in a women’s 400-meter individual medley heat at the World Swimming Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, Sunday, July 30, 2023. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

McIntosh beat by almost half a second the previous 400 IM world record set by Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu at the 2016 Olympic Games, and lowered the 400 freestyle record by just over a quarter of a second.

The Canadian was the first swimmer in history to hold both the 400 IM and 400 freestyle world records at the same time, which McIntosh did for almost four months until Australia’s Ariarne Titmus reclaimed the freestyle record in Fukuoka in July.

“This time last year, I wouldn’t have ever thought I’d break two world records or previous world records. I think it’s still a bit surreal to be honest,” she said. “That just kind of comes back to trying to just keep my head down and keep working and not focus too much on records like that, but it’s a really cool part and kind of a timestamp in history.”

McIntosh put an exclamation mark on her year by ending U.S. star Katie Ledecky’s 11-year run of 400-metre freestyle victories in American pools.

Ledecky hadn’t lost a 400 in her home country since she was 15 years old. McIntosh beat her by almost three seconds at the U.S. Open in Greensboro, N.C. on Dec. 1.

“Yeah, crazy things,” said McIntosh’s Canadian teammate Marie-Sophie Harvey. “It’s going to be crazy things in Paris, let me tell you. She’s just a phenomenon.”

The Canadian Press began recognizing male and female athletes of the year in 1932. CP’s male athlete of the year will be announced Thursday and the team of the year Friday.

In a survey of sports journalists and broadcasters across the country, McIntosh earned 24 votes out of 52 cast.

“Summer McIntosh is simply the best and is achieving unbelievable results at an incredibly young age,” wrote Whitehorse Star sports editor Morris Prokop on his ballot.

Swimmer Maggie Mac Neil, who collected a record five Pan American Games gold medals and a world championship butterfly silver in 2023, ranked second in votes, 12 behind teammate McIntosh.

“There is far more to come from Summer over the next number of years,” Swimming Canada high-performance director John Atkinson said.

“Fantastic recognition for a young lady that’s doing some remarkable things within high-performance sport.

“She’s in a fantastic position, which is down to her own attitude, her commitment, her passion and great support from parents and family and from her coaches.”

Previous winners of CP’s female athlete of the year include hockey players Marie-Philip Poulin (2022) and Hayley Wickenheiser (2007), tennis players Leylah Fernandez (2021) and Bianca Andreescu (2019), soccer star Christine Sinclair (2020, 2012), golfer Brooke Henderson (2015, 2017, 2018) and swimmer Penny Oleksiak (2016).

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 27, 2023.