Summer McIntosh is the clear choice for Canadian athlete of the year

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In two weeks, a bunch of Canadian sports media VIPs will gather (virtually) to decide the winner of the Northern Star Award for Canadian athlete of the year.

Last December, the award formerly known as the Lou Marsh Trophy went to basketball star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander after he finished fifth in NBA MVP voting and led the Canadian men's team to a World Cup bronze and its first Olympic berth in a generation.

My vote, if I had one, would have gone to SGA. But you could have made a good case for Connor McDavid, who finished off his incredible 153-point season in 2023; golfer Nick Taylor, who became the first Canadian in 69 years to win the men's Canadian Open; and swimming phenom Summer McIntosh, who won her third and fourth career world titles and broke two world records.

This year, there's really no debate. McIntosh is the obvious choice after her historic hat trick at the Summer Olympics in Paris. Before celebrating her 18th birthday, she won a Canadian-record three gold medals and added a silver as the country enjoyed its most successful non-boycotted Summer Games ever.

WATCH | McIntosh discusses life after her sparkling Paris Games:

Summer McIntosh on TIME's honours and life after Olympic gold

To boil it down to an elevator pitch: in an Olympic year, the Northern Star Awards typically goes to an Olympic athlete. And McIntosh just won the most gold medals ever by a Canadian at a single Games. Seems like a no-brainer.

Having said that, many other Canadian athletes had a great year too. So here's a look at some that may have deserved the Northern Star if McIntosh