Teenage prodigy Summer McIntosh, with four championships, has joined sa国际传媒’s Golden Generation of female swimmers during the Bell Canadian trials for the FINA world championships at Budapest in June and the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games in July.
McIntosh, introduced to Canadians last year as a 14-year-old fourth-place finisher in the Tokyo Olympics, won the women’s 200- and 400-metre freestyles, 200-metre butterfly, and on Saturday capped things with victory in the 400-metre IM, to display her versatility in a spectacular showing over the week at Saanich Commonwealth Place.
“I like different events for different reasons,” said McIntosh.
The trials featured the Canadian women swimmers who accounted for 12 medals over the past two Olympics, six at Tokyo and six at Rio, including seven-time Olympic medallist Penny Oleksiak, fellow gold-medallist Maggie Mac Neil and backstroke multiple Olympic-medallist Kylie Masse.
Add McIntosh as the newest name to that starry group.
The Canadian men, however, have not won an Olympic pool medal since Ryan Cochrane of Victoria and Brent Hayden of Mission in 2012 at London. But a rising young group, led by trials multiple gold-medallist Joshua Liendo, made its intentions clear that it is preparing to storm international podiums.
“It’s been a good meet and I learned a lot of things I will bring back with me to training for this summer and beyond,” said the 19-year-old, who made his Olympic debut last summer with a fourth-place finish in the relays.
“It’s been building. We’re coming. We want it.”
The trials, which include qualifying for the world Para championships in June in Portugal, began Tuesday and conclude today with qualifying races beginning at 9:30 a.m. and the finals at 6 p.m. All sessions are being streamed live on CBC Sports and CBC Gem.
