Paris – In a remarkable all-North American sweep, 17-year-old Canadian swimming sensation Summer McIntosh secured her first Olympic gold medal in the women’s 400m individual medley, outpacing Americans Katie Grimes and Emma Weyant, who took silver and bronze, respectively.
McIntosh, renowned as the fastest woman ever in this event, dominated from the onset of the eight-lap, four-stroke race, finishing with a time of 4:27.71. Her victory margin of 5.69 seconds over Grimes marked the largest in this event at the Olympics since 1984.
“I was very happy to get the job done, to stand on top of the podium and get the gold medal,” McIntosh expressed. “It’s always just about having fun, as well as pushing my body to its limits. I’m just trying to make Team Canada proud, and set the tone,” added McIntosh, who also earned silver in the 400m freestyle on Saturday night.
For 18-year-old Katie Grimes, the silver medal represents her first Olympic podium finish. Grimes, who finished fourth in the 800m freestyle at the Tokyo Olympics as a 15-year-old, was the youngest member of Team USA in any sport at those Games. She now has a chance to make history in Paris, as no woman has ever won medals in both pool swimming and open water swimming at the Olympics. Grimes will compete in the women’s 10km open water event on August 8.
Emma Weyant, who took bronze, added to her silver medal from the same event in Tokyo. “I’m just so happy to be back on the podium. It’s been a long three years for me. Just getting back out there with my teammates means the world to me. This is kind of a redemption year. That has been my mindset the whole year,” Weyant said.
With their performances, McIntosh, Grimes, and Weyant showcased the strength and depth of North American swimming, setting a high bar for future competitions.
related topics:
