No rationalization required was the consensus amongst voters for The Canadian Press award for 2024 feminine athlete of the yr.
Throughout the month earlier than her 18th birthday, Summer time McIntosh grew to become the primary Canadian to win three gold medals in a single Olympic Video games, winter or summer season, with a silver medal thrown in for good measure.
McIntosh was the overwhelming selection amongst sports activities editors, producers and reporters throughout Canada due to the Toronto swimmer’s electrical efficiency in Paris. She was chosen on 52 of the 53 votes solid, with the opposite vote going to skeleton world champion Hallie Clarke of Brighton, Ont.
“Three golds on the Olympics. No different purpose wanted,” wrote TSN managing producer Jamie Bell.
The Canadian Press started recognizing female and male athletes of the yr in 1932. McIntosh was a repeat winner after additionally incomes the excellence in 2023.
“It is all the time an honour, however to do it for a second yr in a row is fairly unimaginable to be acknowledged like this,” McIntosh stated.
Earlier winners embrace hockey gamers Marie-Philip Poulin (2022) and Hayley Wickenheiser (2007), tennis gamers Leylah Fernandez (2021) and Bianca Andreescu (2019), soccer star Christine Sinclair (2020, 2012), golfer Brooke Henderson (2015, 2017, 2018) and swimmer Penny Oleksiak (2016).
WATCH | McIntosh learns she received Northern Star Award through telephone name in Budapest:
Recent off successful a gold and a bronze medal on the World Aquatics quick course championships in Budapest, watch as Summer time McIntosh receives a telephone name, to tell her that she has been named Canada’s athlete of the yr.
McIntosh arrived in Paris with an bold program. Together with heats, semifinals and relays, the Canadian raced 13 occasions over 9 days at La Protection Area.
Ascending the rostrum 4 occasions — thrice to listen to O Canada — was a feat of thoughts and physique planning and administration.
“Simply going into the Olympics, all of the coaching that I did on a day-to-day foundation, and mentally, bodily getting ready for a nine-day-long swim meet, I could not have been extra ready and my outcomes confirmed that,” McIntosh stated.
“I used to be actually pleased with how I did, however actually, I used to be simply extra happy with me pushing myself to achieve my full potential and getting ready as greatest as doable, as a result of I do this to provide myself probably the most confidence going into an enormous meet like that.”
The world file holder was anticipated to win her bread-and-butter occasion. McIntosh did not simply ship. She dominated and received by almost six seconds, which World Aquatics stated was the biggest margin in 40 years.
“I positively knew getting gold was a chance, so after I lastly was capable of do it, all my exhausting work and coaching got here into fruition,” McIntosh stated. “That was a extremely cool second as a result of I knew I may do it, however to truly get it achieved is a special factor.”
McIntosh then received gold within the 200-metre butterfly — which her mom Jill Horstead additionally swam in 1984 — and the 200-metre I.M. in Olympic-record time.
McIntosh and Olympic champion hammer thrower Ethan Katzberg have been chosen to hold Canada’s flag within the closing ceremonies at Stade de France.
“Summer time McIntosh had the burden of her nation on her shoulders when she competed in Paris. But she blanked out many of the strain and nonetheless pulled off one of the crucial exceptional Olympic performances in Canadian historical past. That is a champion,” wrote Globe and Mail sports activities manufacturing editor Phil King.
WATCH | McIntosh returns to childhood pool in Etobicoke:
One in every of Canada’s most dominant athletes was again in Toronto Thursday night time. Canadian teenage swimming celebrity Summer time McIntosh returned from Budapest, contemporary off three world information and a handful of medals on the World Aquatics Swimming Championships. CBC’s Dale Manucdoc was on the Etobicoke Swim Membership the place McIntosh met some kids who look as much as her.
McIntosh set a excessive bar for herself heading into Los Angeles in 2028. She’s getting ready to clear it.
“I’m nonetheless so younger. I wish to keep within the sport so long as I can so long as I take pleasure in it,” McIntosh stated.
“On daily basis I feel I fall extra in love with it. It is such a enjoyable sport. Any time I get to race, I am reminded on why I like it a lot and why we do all these early mornings and all that tough coaching, hours and hours every single day only for these two minutes within the water in a race, which is form of a cool manner to take a look at it. All I wish to accomplish is simply reaching my full potential, no matter meaning.”
She trains with Florida’s Sarasota Sharks beneath coach Brent Arckey. McIntosh says she’ll full the final two lessons she must graduate from highschool in 2025.
She retains her Olympic medals in a wood field. Every is wrapped in paper towels in particular person plastic sandwich luggage to stop dings and dents. McIntosh let others take pleasure in her medals throughout her post-Paris three weeks at dwelling in Canada.
“I attempt to present my medals to as many individuals as doable that wish to see them, simply because they’re actually cool to see and see in individual,” she stated.
“Simply realizing that I am inspiring folks I feel is actually, actually cool, and it additionally form of retains a weight on my shoulders that I do know I wish to maintain going, and retains me motivated to maintain pushing ahead with the game heading into 2028.”
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