Summer McIntosh sizzles at Florida meet with pair of freestyle victories

For as dominant as Canadian swimming superstar Summer McIntosh has been for the last number of years, there’s no sign of complacency or let up from the 19-year-old from Toronto.

In fact, she says she’s continuing to learn from each race and is trying to push herself harder than ever during training as the next Olympics come into focus. 

The pursuit of putting all the puzzle pieces together in the pool continued this week at the Fort Lauderdale Open with a stacked field of competitors assembled in Florida. McIntosh posted two impressive victories on back-to-back nights beginning Thursday in the 400-metre freestyle.

In what was the marquee race of that evening, McIntosh found herself locked in a spectacular battle with American Legend Katie Ledecky.

The two swimming powerhouses went stroke-for-stroke throughout much of the race. Just when it looked as if McIntosh would pull away, Ledecky would surge and reel the Canadian back in. 

But as both fought doggedly in the final 50 metres, it was McIntosh who had more left in the tank, stopping the clock in a time of 3:58.91.

Her time is the fastest in the world this calendar year. McIntosh is the world record holder in the event in a time of 3:54.18.

After the race, McIntosh wasn’t overly pleased with her time but was happy to touch the wall first.

“It was a great race. It’s always good getting those close quarter reps in. Again, my time wasn’t where I wanted it to be but I felt strong. After the race I wasn’t as laboured as I had hoped,” she said. 

“I felt like I could have kept going. I waited too long. All good learning experiences.”

Coach Bob Bowman, who is leading a jaw-dropping group of talented swimmers including McIntosh at the University of Texas in Austin, was happy