TORONTO – Summer McIntosh continues to make swimming fans ask, “What can’t she do?”
McIntosh upset Maggie Mac Neil in the 100-m butterfly Friday at the Speedo Canadian Swimming Open, turning in a personal best of 57.19 to out-touch Mac Neil by .05 seconds.
The 17-year-old Olympian and four-time world champion holds the world record in the 400-m individual medley but isn’t swimming that event here. Instead her program includes swimming the 100-m strokes, the four components of 400 IM. While the goal is working towards next month’s Olympic & Paralympic Trials, Presented by Bell, and ultimately the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, she ended up scoring a win over the Olympic champion in 100 fly.
“Overall I was pretty happy with that race,” McIntosh said. “I have so much respect for Maggie, knowing her not just in swimming but as a friend as well. It’s so awesome to see how well she’s done. Since getting that gold medal at Tokyo I’ve always been so inspired by her and she’s someone that I’ve always looked up to.
“Going into this meet I wanted to focus on more sprinty events and kind of polish up my details. Overall I’m pretty happy,” she added. “I’m really focused tunnel vision on the main goal which is Paris right now.”
On the Para swimming side, Nick Bennett of Red Deer Catalina Swim Club was the standout once again, setting his second Canadian record of the meet (SB14) with a 29.76 in the 50-m breaststroke
In other action Friday, 17-year-old Ethan Ekk won the men’s 200-m backstroke in 1:59.22. Ekk, a Canadian based in Tallahassee, Fla., is new to the national meet scene.
In the women’s 200, 17-year-old Delia Lloyd out-touched her 15-year-old High Performance Centre – Ontario teammate Madison Kryger by the slimmest of margins, 2:11.95 to 2:11.96.
The four-day meet wraps up Saturday at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre, with preliminary heats at 9:30 a.m. each day and finals at 6 p.m. Tickets can be purchased here.
On Thursday, Canadians got a preview of what relays could look like this summer.
McIntosh won the women’s 100-m freestyle in 53.90 in a race that saw four women go under 55 seconds. Maggie Mac Neil was second in 54.01, followed by Mary-Sophie Harvey (54.27) and Penny Oleksiak (54.43).
“Every time we get to race each other it’s always a great experience,” said McIntosh, 17, who trains with the Sarasota Sharks. “It’s always a lot of fun, they bring the best out of me and we’re just trying to push each other.”
Fellow Torontonian Oleksiak was happy with this step in her comeback from injury, her first meet in Canada in two years.
“I’m having fun and enjoying what I’m doing,” said Oleksiak, Canada’s most decorated Olympian with seven medals. “I’m just trying to get ready for Trials. I’m happy with where I’m at. I’m really blessed to be able to do this for a living and have all these people pulling for me.”
Another event that will have potential relay implications, the women’s 100-m breaststroke, saw relative newcomer Shona Branton of Western University win a close race, with four women under 1:08.
Branton’s time of 1:07.40 out-touched Kelsey Wog of the Manitoba Bisons (1:07.52). World junior champion Alexanne Lepage of University of Calgary was third in 1:07.75, followed by Sophie Angus of the High Performance Centre – Ontario (1:07.82), the breaststroker on two straight world medley relay bronze medals.
“There’s really good rapport among the breaststrokers and everyone just wants the best for each other. That really takes off the pressure,” said Branton, 21.
“I only just broke 1:10 in my 100 breaststroke in 2023 so I’ve come a long way in a year,” said Branton, who credited her progress to coach Paul Midgley. “I just listen to him. I fight back sometimes but it’s awesome, he’s the man behind the scenes.”
On the men’s side, Finlay Knox of HPC-Vancouver, world champion in the 200-m individual medley, showed off his breaststroke prowess, winning in 1:00.91.
Full results: https://results.swimontario.com/liveresults/2024/OPEN/#