For the past decade, Katie Ledecky’s Olympic greatness has dominated women’s swimming, shattering world records and cementing her status as one of the greatest swimmers of all time. However, at just 17 years old, Canadian prodigy Summer McIntosh is rapidly staking her claim as the sport’s newest juggernaut.

McIntosh announced that she was opting out at  2024 February’s World Aquatics Championships in Doha, but later she defeated Katie Ledecky at a sectional event in Orlando, becoming the first person to outpace Ledecky in the 800-metre distance since 2010. Her display in recent years has put her in direct contention with the Olympian.

Summer McIntosh’s record-breaking laps making huge waves

At the tender age of 8, Summer McIntosh started swimming competitively. She even got to witness the 2016 Olympic Trials and fist-bumped every Canadian swimmer who made the squad. This moment pushed her to dream big – she wanted to represent her nation at the Olympics herself. Despite starting young, fans started noticing her in 2022.

Since then, McIntosh has continued to prove that she has what it takes, collecting several accolades with each event. But her recent performances gave her more than gold medals. According to the overall ranking on World Aquatics, McIntosh is now being hailed as the world’s fastest swimmer in the Women’s 400m Freestyle with a time of 3:59:06.

Summer McIntosh solidified her status as a swimming prodigy with an exceptional performance at the 2024 Olympic Trials in Canada. This achievement was just one of many world records in her collection. At the Canadian Open, McIntosh set the fastest-ever time of 1:54.21 in the 200m freestyle, her fourth-fastest swim.

However, McIntosh’s most symbolic triumph was her head-to-head victory over the legendary Katie Ledecky, ending Ledecky’s 13-year reign. In the lead-up to the Paris Olympics, McIntosh clinched gold with a time of 8:11.39 seconds, while Ledecky trailed behind at the USA’s 2024 Southern Zone Sectionals. Summer currently holds the world record in the 400m individual medley and will be looking to surpass her own mark in Paris.

In a conversation with Olympics.com, McIntosh has expressed, “To just go out there and have fun, 400 IM is an event where it’s all about strategy and pacing the front half and always trying to work that breaststroke because it is my weakest stroke, so I’m just excited to do it in Paris.” With McIntosh not competing in the women’s 800m freestyle, will Katie Ledecky be looking to set any new records in the French Capital? 

What does Paris have in store for Katie Ledecky?

McIntosh might have knocked Ledecky off the top this year, but she is looking to redeem herself in the French Capital. As she prepares to compete in the 800m freestyle again, she still holds the world’s fastest time of 15:38:25 in the 1500m freestyle. Despite being uncertain, Ledecky is looking forward to breaking records and adding more medals. 

However, she has shone a light on how rising stars like McIntosh have given her a tough fight. She has further reiterated that she enjoys the challenge of battling it out with the newer, faster competitors. Ledecky will be looking to focus on being on the top of her game, while she continues to push boundaries in competitive swimming. 

Summer McIntosh’s journey from the excited 8-year-old to making a record in the women’s 400m freestyle at 17 years old is nothing short of extraordinary. Competing with swimming legends might have been a dream at one point, but McIntosh will continue to strive for excellence at the Paris Olympics. Will she be able to retain her title? Only time will tell.