Summer McIntosh wins second gold, sets Olympic record

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It is turning into a Summer sizzler over here, well on its way to becoming the greatest single display ever performed by a Canadian Olympian.

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And what a show Summer McIntosh — part athletic brilliance, and part entertainment — is putting on as the rising star of these Games not only wins, but does so in dominating fashion.

The Toronto teenager is a two-time gold-medallist after a brilliantly executed and never-in-doubt effort in the 200-metre butterfly on Thursday night to drape another heavy piece of shiny hardware around her neck.

And in the process, she’s fast-forwarding herself near the top of the conversation of who is the greatest Canadian Olympian of all time. It’s stunning, sensational and a thing of beauty — all in one incredibly fine-tuned athlete.

In a commanding six days of competition here, her legacy is already entrenched. She is the first Canadian woman to win two individual golds at a Summer Games, the first female swimmer to capture three. All at the age of 17 and all with the asterisk of there’s more to come.

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On Thursday, McIntosh was as entertaining as she was in full command of her assignment. Not only was her time of 2:03.03 an Olympic record, it was the second fastest ever raced in the event.

You think she was ready for the moment? The latest show of firepower knocked a second off her personal best at a La Defense Arena pool that has been slow by international standards.

Yes, these are the Games of Summer now as the showman in McIntosh came out in what was her most impressive win yet and a glittering golden complement to the one she claimed in the 400-metre IM earlier in the week.

“She’s such an incredible athlete and one of a kind,” said McIntosh’s veteran Canadian teammate, Kylie Masse. “It’s incredible to see her on top of the podium. It’s so wonderful to see her so true to who she is and visibly enjoying what she’s doing and being here at the Olympic Games.”

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Summer essentially toyed with the competition in this one, letting reigning Olympic champ Yufei Zhang hold a slim lead at the 100-metre mark. And then she toyed with the controversial Chinese swimmer and the rest of the field on the way to a breakout victory. The opening silver was nice, the gold to follow made her a champion. Now she’s a legend.

There was an added special to element to the latest victory for the McIntosh family: The gold came in the same race that her mother Jill competed in at the 1984 Games in Los Angeles. It will no doubt be a subject of conversation at the family cottage when the McIntoshes get back to Ontario.

“It was pretty cool winning the 200 fly because that was her main event,” Summer said. “So sharing that moment with her is pretty cool. I know she is so proud of me along with the rest of the family.

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“I’ve always loved the 200 fly growing up. It’s such a fun and enjoyable race.”

It’s also one that she executed to perfection which is in line with the biggest statement McIntosh has been making here. That killer instinct matched with brilliance in execution makes her the one to beat every time she steps on the blocks. And the competition is well aware of it.

“This one was such a well-executed race,” her coach Brent Arckey said afterwards. “She went out aggressively but not overly aggressive, (had) a great third 50 and probably one of the best turns for her off the last wall and then just doing what she needs to do over the last 50.”

Like the rest of the swimming world, Arckey is clearly in awe of his prized student and her composure. There is so much to celebrate, but so much yet to accomplish starting with Friday’s preliminary’s for the 200 IM where a third gold looms as a strong possibility.

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“We’re trying to get to the end of this thing and then we’ll be able to take a deep breath,” Arckey said. “You get to celebrate in the moment. It’s something we’ve rehearsed. I think there will be a bigger celebration at the end. The last phase is celebrating.”

And what a celebration that will be.

McIntosh is getting the hang of this now and we’re starting to see the joy emerge in the moments outside of her locked-in focus. She’s got the podium wave down pat. She’s got the walk around the stadium with a Canadian flag draped on her shoulders cemented as part of her routine. And she sings the anthem in both official languages.

Oh, and then there are the medals.

“The first night when they put the silver medal on my neck, I was actually shocked how heavy it was because no other medal has been that heavy before,” McInosh said. “I just try to soak up those moments as much as possible.”
The latest masterpiece, ripped in front of another sellout crowd, gave Canada it’s seventh medal of the Games, three of them from McIntosh and four from the surging swim team.

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Leaving from Lane 4, the Canadian was second after 50 metres to Zhang but narrowed that gap at the halfway mark and shot to the front through the third lap of the 50-metre pool.
What followed was pure athletic brilliance. With the sellout crowd urging her on, she increased her margin as she reached the wall.

And McIntosh is not done yet in her quest to blow away anything previously done by a Canadian at a Winter or Summer Games.

Though in the 4×200 freestyle relay, she swam a blistering third leg on Thursday and had to settle for fourth, she’s got the IM on the weekend and likely more relay action.

When the water settled and the celebration Arckey references begins, the McIntosh legacy could already be something special.
A third gold would surpass the two that speed skaters Marc Gagnon (Salt Lake City, 2002) and Gaetan Boucher (Sarajevo, 1984) won as the most by any Canadian in a single Olympics. And there’s still a chance at leaving France with five total medals which would match long track speed skater Cindy Klassen’s performance (one gold, two silver, two bronze) at the 2006 Turin Games.

Many veteran observers are starting to compare McIntosh to American superstar Katie Ledecky, whose win in the 1,500 freestyle on Wednesday was her eighth career Olympic gold. McIntosh has a ways to go to validate those comparisons, but is off to a flying start.

“It’s pretty surreal,” McIntosh said, as teenagers like to say. “I’m trying not to reflect on it too much. I’ve got the 200 IM tomorrow and it’s time to focus on that.”

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