Summer McIntosh is part of a big swim meet this week

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The swimming events at the 2024 Paris Olympics begin almost exactly eight months from today — on July 27, to be precise. In the meantime, there aren't many opportunities to see top medal contenders compete against each other.

Due to scheduling kinks caused by the pandemic, there's a world championships coming up in February in Doha. But the big names are laser-focused on the Olympics, so don't expect to see them there. That includes Canadian stars Summer McIntosh, Penny Oleksiak, Maggie Mac Neil, Kylie Masse and Josh Liendo, who are all skipping the worlds. In announcing its roster earlier this month, Swimming Canada identified its leading athlete as Katerine Savard, a solid but unspectacular veteran who has never won an individual medal at the Olympics or the world championships.

There's no question that the depleted entry list has taken the juice out of the upcoming worlds. But swimming fans looking to see some of the world's biggest stars in action before Paris can turn to this week's U.S. Open Swimming Championships.

WATCH | McIntosh defends women's 400m IM world title with championship-record time:

Taking place Wednesday through Saturday in Greensboro, N.C., the meet will feature most of the best Americans, including distance GOAT Katie Ledecky and seven-time Olympic gold medallist Caeleb Dressel. Plus, international stars like McIntosh and France's Leon Marchand, who won a combined five individual golds at this year's world championships in Japan.

Canada's Penny Oleksiak is scheduled for one event, the women's 100-metre freestyle, as the seven-time Olympic