Toronto's Summer McIntosh meets young fans at pool where she trained as a child

Young swimmers got a chance on Thursday evening to meet Summer McIntosh, Canada's newly named top athlete of the year, and the evening did not disappoint.

The Etobicoke Swim Club, where McIntosh honed her skills, held a meet and greet with the swimmer to celebrate her success and the impact she has had on sport in Toronto. McIntosh first started swimming at the Etobicoke Olympium, an indoor pool in Centennial Park, when she was 10 and will be training there over the holidays, according to the club.

McIntosh, 18, signed autographs and posed for photos at the event. People were able to touch the four Olympic medals — three golds and a silver — that she won at the Paris Olympic Games.

"It means the world when the kids come up to me and say that I've inspired them and I just see the look in their eyes. It's so sweet. And that's really what keeps me going. It's one of the best feelings in the world and why I enjoy what I do so much," she said.

"And to be back at the Olympium as well is so nice because this is really where I started off my swimming career... It really made me the swimmer I am today."

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow was there and McIntosh signed her swimming cap.

McIntosh returned to Toronto this week after competing in the World Short Course Swimming Championships in Budapest, Hungary, where she finished the tournament with five medals and three world records, taking gold in the 400 freestyle, the 200 butterfly and the 400 individual medley.

In addition to winning silver in the women's 200-metre backstroke, she helped Canada's women's 4x100 freestyle relay team to bronze.

World Aquatics named her its female athlete of the year following the medal presentations in Budapest. She also recently won the 2024 Northern