Paris Olympics, Day 6 Finals: Summer time McIntosh Crushes Second-Quickest Time Ever, Olympic Report For 200 Fly Triumph

There was one race of significance when Summer time McIntosh cracked. Coming into the World Championships ultimate of the 400 freestyle in 2023 because the world-record holder, McIntosh by no means reached her most well-liked tempo and ended up falling solely off the rostrum. However was she rattled? After all not. Today one disappointment was rapidly remedied with a person bronze and two golds in her remaining occasions.

Already in her fourth global-level competitors however nonetheless in need of her 18th birthday, McIntosh has been reliably sensible in each different second with medals on the road. She just isn’t undefeated in World Championships or Olympic finals, however she constantly comes by to match or exceed any cheap expectations. Such was the case earlier this week in Paris, when McIntosh received a powerful silver behind Ariarne Titmus within the 400 free or when she dominated the 400 IM ultimate.

Now, McIntosh has achieved it once more within the 200 butterfly, holding off a stellar ultimate flip from American rival Regan Smith to safe her second Olympic gold medal. Within the course of, McIntosh smashed her lifetime finest by a full second, recording a time of two:03.03 for the second-fastest efficiency in historical past.

“It means the world, particularly in that occasion. I’ve all the time beloved the 200 fly rising up. It’s additionally simply enjoyable and such an pleasurable race,” McIntosh mentioned. “I’m actually pleased with the time, although I undoubtedly suppose I had 2:02 in me. I believe my end was a little bit bit bizarre. However I can by no means complain a few finest time, particularly by that a lot.”

China’s Zhang Yufei, the gold medalist within the occasion three years in the past, was out beneath world-record tempo on the 50-meter mark, however McIntosh and Smith by no means let the Chinese language veteran get too far forward. McIntosh took over the lead on the third size by eight tenths, and he or she held on for gold regardless of Smith’s spirited closing effort. Within the course of, McIntosh broke the Olympic file of two:03.86 that Zhang set three years in the past in Tokyo.

“In fly, it’s form of onerous to see individuals typically, however tonight I may form of really feel out the place I used to be,” McIntosh mentioned. “On the 125 mark, I hadn’t even began attempting within the race but. I used to be actually, actually controlling it as a lot as attainable. Often I’m going out a bit sooner, however I don’t know, for no matter motive, I made a decision to take it dwelling as finest as attainable. General, it labored out.”

Smith received silver in 2:03.84, her second consecutive Olympic silver within the occasion. She knocked three hundredths off the American file she set final 12 months and turning into historical past’s fourth-fastest performer behind China’s Liu Zige, McIntosh and Australia’s Jessicah Schipper.

Zhang took bronze in 2:05.09. Australia’s Elizabeth Dekkers and Denmark’s Helena Rosendahl Bach tied for fourth in 2:07.11, with 17-year-old American Alex Shackell taking sixth (2:07.73).

• World Report: Liu Zige, China – 2:01.81 (2009)
• Olympic Report: Zhang Yufei, China – 2:03.86 (2021)
• Tokyo Olympic Champion: Zhang Yufei, China – 2:03.86

McIntosh is the primary feminine to win a number of particular person gold medals this week, and he or she joins French star Leon Marchand as the one swimmers to win three particular person medals this week, with Marchand having stormed to gold within the 400 IM, 200 butterfly and 200 breaststroke. And similar to her French counterpart, McIntosh is probably going so as to add a fourth medal as she concludes her particular person program within the 200 IM, an occasion through which she is taken into account a co-favorite for gold.

Swimming many various occasions over the course of the Video games, McIntosh has required some vital focus to handle one occasion after one other. Even after her 200 fly ultimate, she needed to rapidly reset, overlook in regards to the golden particular person efficiency and put together to race along with her Canadian teammates on the 800 free relay.

“It’s much more easy than most likely individuals suppose behind the scenes,” McIntosh mentioned of her course of. “All I’m doing is consuming and sleeping once I’m swimming. Simply preserve it easy, attempt to relaxation my mind as a lot as I do my physique. That’s form of what works finest for me to arrange for my following races.”

Smith reached the medal podium for the second time this week, having beforehand taken silver behind Kaylee McKeown within the 100 backstroke, and fifth time in her profession, with additional probabilities to come back within the 200 backstroke, girls’s 400 medley relay and presumably the blended 400 medley relay. The 22-year-old truly entered the race with a faster finest time than McIntosh, having damaged into 2:03-territory in June 2023, however McIntosh has constantly crushed Smith head-to-head, together with in World Championships finals in 2022 and 2023. She did the identical right here, whilst Smith eclipsed her personal finest time.

Zhang received gold on this occasion three years in the past however has made little influence on the 200 fly within the time since, falling to 3rd on the 2022 Worlds after which scratching the race on the 2023 international meet to focus on sprints and relays. She has maintained extra consistency within the 100-meter race, her bronze earlier this week securing her second consecutive Olympic medal within the race, and he or she additionally helped China’s 400 free relay to bronze on the opening evening of the Olympics.

However to date, the star of this girls’s group is McIntosh. Others may be a part of her as multi-event winners, together with McKeown, Katie Ledecky and Sarah Sjostrom, however maybe McIntosh upstages all of them with one other gold, perhaps even main Canada to a relay medal earlier than this week is full. This Olympics is her second however the first with McIntosh established among the many sport’s mega-stars, and he or she has come by.

“Quite a lot of the instances I do very nicely at large meets like that is simply because I can feed off the group and understanding my household’s up there and having the ability to signify Canada, it’s such an honor, and I all the time wish to make my nation as proud as attainable,” McIntosh mentioned. “I wouldn’t name it nerves. Day one I get probably the most nervous as a result of there’s numerous anticipation, however I’ve undoubtedly discovered from that from the final World Championships. I might say as a substitute of nerves, I simply get adrenaline and anticipation.”