Summer McIntosh is facing an unexpected challenge in her pursuit of five individual gold medals at the 2028 Summer Olympics.
Due to a recent change in the scheduling of the upcoming Summer Games, conflicts have arisen that will impact the events in which the Canadian swimming sensation can compete.
One notable change is the scheduling of the women’s 200-meter butterfly and 800-meter freestyle back-to-back on the last day of swimming competition, making it unfeasible for McIntosh to participate in the latter event despite her strong performance and potential for a gold medal.
CBC Sports’ Devin Heroux asked Canadian swimmer Summer McIntosh what it’s like being one of the greatest Canadian athletes alive right now.
Despite being a three-time world champion and the reigning Olympic champion in the 200m butterfly, McIntosh achieved the second-fastest time in the women’s 800m freestyle (8:05.07) during the Canadian trials in June.
Byron MacDonald, the head swimming coach at the University of Toronto, expressed that the schedule change does not hinder McIntosh’s goal of aiming for five gold medals in Los Angeles.
He mentioned, “The discussion has now shifted from ‘What will be Summer’s fifth event?’ to ‘Summer’s fifth event will likely be the 200 freestyle.'”
McIntosh is expected to compete in the 200m individual medley, 400m IM, 200m fly, and 400m free events at the Olympics.
Regarding McIntosh’s options for the fifth event, MacDonald explained that both the 800m freestyle and the 200m backstroke present conflicts with other potential gold medal attempts. The back-to-back scheduling of the 800m freestyle and 200m butterfly makes the former event unfeasible, while the 200m backstroke coincides with the 200m IM, although there is a sufficient gap between the two races.
MacDonald emphasized, “The 200 freestyle is a standalone event with no conflicts, making it the logical choice for Summer to pursue as her fifth event.”
McIntosh is set to begin her Olympic journey on July 22 with the 400m freestyle final.
Tentative CBC Sports projection of McIntosh’s lineup for L.A. 2028:
- Day 1 – 400m freestyle final
- Day 2 – Off
- Day 3 – 400m IM final
- Day 4 – 200m freestyle semifinal
- Day 5 – 200m freestyle final
- Day 6 –