Updated
Canada’s Summer McIntosh, the two-time defending world champion in the women’s 200-metre butterfly, is a step closer to racing for a third swimming medal at the Paris Olympics.
2-time defending world champion clocks 2:07.70 at La Defense Arena in Paris
Doug Harrison · CBC Sports
· Posted: Jul 31, 2024 6:53 AM EDT | Last Updated: 4 minutes ago
Summer McIntosh of Toronto touched the wall in two minutes 7.70 seconds for third in her heat on Wednesday and qualified sixth of 16 for the 2:45 p.m. ET semifinals at La Defense Arena in Nanterre, France. (Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)Canada’s Summer McIntosh, the two-time defending world champion in the women’s 200-metre butterfly, is a step closer to racing for a third swimming medal at the Paris Olympics.
She touched the wall in two minutes 7.70 seconds for third in her heat on Wednesday, qualifying sixth of 16 for the 2:45 p.m. ET semifinals at La Defense Arena in Nanterre, France.
“Just to make it to semifinals in any way, shape or form,” she said when asked by CBC Sports’ Devin Heroux what she wanted to achieve in the heats. “Going [to the final] in sixth is nice.”
The 17-year-old sensation added it’s important to expend the least amount of energy while performing strongly.
“It’s super important mentally and physically to conserve as much energy as possible. Obviously, you have to get focused and hyped before races but for a heat, I try to take it down a notch.”
The Toronto native enjoyed a day off Tuesday following medal performances on Saturday (silver in 400 freestyle) and Monday (gold in 400 individual medley). She was also thrilled to take a call from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
“It was definitely a surreal moment. It was really, really cool and an honour,” McIntosh said. “He just kept congratulating me and we talked about how the [Canadian] team energy has been amazing.
“He’s excited for Team Canada to come [home] and celebrate all of us.”
WATCH l McIntosh earns 1st career Olympic gold:
Summer McIntosh hopes her gold medal victory will inspire future generations of Canadian swimmersToronto’s Summer McIntosh spoke with CBC Sports’ Devin Heroux poolside after winning the Olympic women’s 400-metre individual medley final at Paris 2024.
Meanwhile, two Canadians will be among the field of 16 in the women’s 200 breaststroke semifinals at 4:03 p.m.
Winnipeg’s Kelsey Wog and Sydney Pickrem of Halifax placed 12th and 13th overall.
They raced together in the second heat, with Wog touching the wall fourth in 2:25.11, 34-100ths of a second ahead of Pickrem, the two-time Olympian who collected 100 medley relay bronze in Tokyo three years ago.
In her 2021 Olympic debut, Wog didn’t make it past the preliminary round in the 100 breaststroke in Tokyo and was disqualified in the 200 semifinals for using a dolphin kick — performed by moving both legs together, vertically, which sends a wave through a swimmer’s body and propels them forward.
The 25-year-old is retiring from competitive swimming after these Games.
“Honestly, it feels very right,” Wog told the Winnipeg Free Press recently. “I feel like I’ve done everything I possibly could have in my sport career, and I don’t think continuing and doing another year or another quad would do myself any justice.”
Most recently, Wog picked up a silver medal in the 200 breaststroke at the Pan Am Games last fall in Santiage, Chile. She was also 1-100th of a second behind the victorious Pickrem at the Canadian Olympic trilas in May.
Elsewhere on Wednesday, Saskatoon’s Blake Tierney was 19th and 41-100ths from qualifying for the men’s 200 backstroke semifinals at 3:47 p.m.
The 22-year-old Canadian record holder in the event was eighth and last in his heat, clocking 1:58.39.
On Sunday, Tierney missed qualifying for the final in the 100 back, placing 16th.
Tierney, who now lives in Vancouver, won the 100 and 200 at the Canadian trials in May, setting the Canadian mark of 1:56.74 in the latter event, two-and-a-half seconds faster than his previous best.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Doug Harrison has covered the professional and amateur scene as a senior writer for CBC Sports since 2003. Previously, the Burlington, Ont., native covered the NHL and other leagues for Faceoff.com. Follow the award-winning journalist @harrisoncbc
