Summer McIntosh capped a stellar 2024 with the honour of being named World Aquatics Female Athlete of the Year after the Canadian had flipped another wave of pioneering performances into her pantheon, each of her three victories at the global short-course Championships, concluded in Budapest Sunday evening, swum in World-Record time. 

More Budapest 2024 reflections on the way tomorrow...

What a way to end your junior years! The 18-year-old Torontonian matched her tally of three golds and a silver (three of the four events the same) at the Paris Olympic Games and grabbed a relay bronze on top of that during six days of racing at a Duna Arena decked for the season and 25m-pool mode.

Summer's breeze included three World and four World Junior records two weeks before year-end marks the end of her youth-category eligibility.

With five medals, McIntosh now has eight career World short-course medals, to go with eight in the long-course pool for a total of 16. Swimming Canada noted the raised bar:

"That moved her into a tie with Penny Oleksiak for fourth most world championships medals among Canadians. Oleksiak captured a silver and two bronze in relays here. Earlier in the meet Kylie Masse took the all-time lead with 20 (9 long course, 11 short course). With eight gold medals combined, McIntosh tied Maggie Mac Neil for most all time, and she is the first ever Canadian with seven individual gold at worlds."

The outcome of McIntosh's podium-record rush, underpinned by outstanding versatility, pays plaudits to the work of coach Brent Arckey and his team, including Vern Gambetta, at the Sarasota Sharks in Florida.

We haven't always agreed with FINA/World Aquatics award choices but even in a year of the latest sensational season of Sarah Sjöstrom, the Boxing-Kangaroo punches of Aussies Kaylee McKeown, Ariarne Titmus and Mollie O'Callaghan and the powerful perseverance of Katie Ledecky, there was no topping McIntosh.

Reflecting on her epic 2024, McIntosh said:

“I don’t even know how to put it into words. It’s been pretty crazy and all over the place with the Olympics and this. Lots of ups and downs, but overall amazing, and I couldn’t have done it without all my support. I’m so grateful for that. I had an amazing 2024 overall, in and out of the pool, so I can’t be more happy.”

In the last two years of her junior career, McIntosh took down Katinka Hosszu's 400IM WR:

Summer Sings A Song Of Swimming Greatness With 4:25.87 World 400m Medley Mark

“I heard the crowd. That’s the first time I really vividly heard the crowd during my race, especially in the breaststroke. It’s amazing to have all my family and friends in the stands cheering me on. It really helped me that last 100 metres.” - Summer McIntosh

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

And then got past that at Canada's Bell-backed Olympic trials in spring:

Summer-Time Measured In A Scorching 4:24.38 World Record From Mesmerising McIntosh

McIntosh’s 4:24.38 is phenomenal, a testament not only to her sensational spectrum of talent, discipline, determination and dedication, the home, family and team support she’s enjoyed but the smart work of coaches Brent Arckey and Vern Gambetta

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

And then, here’s that Paris and Budapest flow:

In early December, we trawled through the heights of Summer's Olympic achievements on the day she was named Canada's Female Swimmer Of The Year:

Swimmer of the Year Award Reflects The Soaring Sum Of Summer’s Olympics As Top Female Swimmer

Adding to her towering 2024 accolades, Summer McIntosh has been named Swimming Canada’s Female Swimmer of the Year for the third straight year and Junior Female Swimmer of the Year for the fourth straight time, in her last year of eligibility

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

Then it was 3 golds, 5 podiums, 3 WRs and 4WJs in Budapest:

Day 1: 400m free - Gold - 3:50.25 WR - WJR ... 4x100m free, CAN - bronze

Summer’s Winter-Warmer The First Of 4 World Records In 4 Races, Walsh, Ponti & Douglass Day 1 Pioneers Before 2 Relay Marks As S/C Titles Start With A Bang

World S/C Champs off to a flying start in Budapest with four World records in the first four races: Summer McIntosh (400 free) followed by Gretchen Walsh (heats & semi, 50 fly), Noe Ponti (50 fly) & Kate Douglass (200IM) before session ends with 2 relay marks to USA for 7 WRs in a day

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

Day 3: 200 'fly - Gold - 1:59.32 - WR, WJR

No Stopping Summer In Winter As McIntosh Takes Down Decade-Old Belmonte 200 ’Fly WR in 1:59.32

Mireia Belmonte supreme fitness, built under the guidance of coach Fred Vergnoux, was present today as McIntosh, coached by Brent Arckey, thumped the 2014 champion’s World-record pace for 7 of 8 lengths before the spectre of the Spaniard’s caught up

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

Day 5: 400IM - Gold - 4:15.48 - WR, WJ

Summer McIntosh, Swimmer For All Seasons & Strokes, Brings Down Sledgehammer Of A 4:15.48 WR

The Canadian’s World-record time in the 400m medley for a third gold at World S/C Championships in Budapest is simply stunning. When fellow Canadian Curtis Myden claimed he inaugural men’s 400IM title in 1993, he clocked 4:10.41. In that same final, McIntosh would have finished fifth by a slither

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

Day 6: 200 Back - Silver - 1:59.96 - WJR

Smith 1:58 World Record 200 Back Chased By McIntosh WJR 1:59 & Kós Takes Down Old Euro & Meet Marks 0.02 Shy Of Larkin’s 2015 Global Epic

Victories for American Regan Smith and Hungarian Hubert Kos keep the World S/C 200m backstroke crowns in the stable of coach Bob Bowman

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

The Maple March

There were plenty of honours for McIntosh's teammates too, in Paris - where the Canadians finished fourth on he swimming medals table behind the two giants battle for supremacy one gold apart, the USA and Australia, and hosts France, boosted by the four-golds glow of Léon Marchand - and in Budapest, where Mary-Sophie Harvey was awarded Female Breakout Athlete of the Year before adding silver in he 200m free to her tally of a 4x100m freestyle silver and three bronze medals, in the 400m free and two mixed relays.

The 25-year-old from Trois-Rivieres, Que., who trains with Greg Arkhurst at Montreal’s CAMO club, threw down a time of 1:51.49 to set an Americas record adrift champion anew Siobhan Haughey of Hong Kong. Said Harvey:

“I knew I could do a good race if I just stick to my plan and keep up with the girls. The first 100 was basically the most important because I tend to chill a little too much at the beginning. I was just really happy behind the block before the start of the race, because I was just like, ‘You know what, this is my last race of the year and I just want to do it and leave this pool without any regrets." 

Harvey missed semifinals in the 200 free at last year’s long-course worlds, finishing 19th, then jumped up to fourth in Paris. On her 200m free progress, she noted:

“It’s something I’ve dreamed for as long as I can remember, and to have that at 25, I think it just shows that you can have your breakout meet at any age. I’m hoping it inspires athletes, even if you’re not maybe the best in the world at 15 or 16, you can still do it later in life."

On Sunday, Swimming Canada also took heart in the gains made on the male side, noting: "The men’s 4x100 medley relay capped the night with their second Canadian record of the day. The team of Blake Tierney, Finlay Knox, Ilya Kharun and Yuri Kisil finished fifth in 3:21.17. That was nearly a second and a half faster than their morning time (3:22.66) which took down a 2009 record that was a world record at the time (Jake Tapp, Paul Kornfeld, Joe Bartoch, Brent Hayden, 3:23.33)." 

Canada finished with 4 gold, 5 silver and 6 bronze, second among countries in gold and total medals behind only Team USA’s dominant 39 (18-13-8) in the absence of top teams from Australia and several other nations that were well shy of full strength and firing at peak form in Budapest. Such is the nature of s/c swimming and a competition calendar very long overdue for review and reform.  

Meanwhile, McIntosh and Harvey were joined in the 5-medal club in Budapest by Ingrid Wilm (2S-3B) and double Olympic 'fly medallist Kharun (1G - 200 'fly - 3S-1B). Knox (2S-2B) earned four.

Canada's High Performance Director and National Coach John Atkinson paid plaudits to the athletes, coaches and hose who back them:

“At our pre-championships team meeting we talked about this team moving forwards and this being the first major event on the path to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. It has proved to be great for our team and gives them a springboard into 2025. It’s been a massive year and as a program we have had so many things to be proud of. Coming out of Budapest with Summer a triple world champion and Ilya Kharun winning his first world Championship it has been a special championships for them, after an amazing Olympics for them both. All told we had 12 swimmers leaving Budapest with a medal and that is a great finish for them.

 “We could not achieve this success without the support of Swimming Canada, Own the Podium, Sport Canada and the Canadian Olympic Committee and we look ahead from 2024 and what the Quad to LA 2028 will bring with their continued support.”