Summer
McIntosh

Canada

Swimming

From new contender to record-breaking champion, Canadian swimmer Summer McIntosh's career is just getting off the starting block.

Date of birth	August 18, 2006
Age	20
Nationality	Canada
Discipline	Swimming

The Early Years

Born August 18, 2006, in Toronto, it was almost as if Summer McIntosh was destined to be in the water. Her mother, Jill Horstead, competed in the 1984 Summer Olympics in swimming, so it really is no surprise that Summer found herself in the pool at a young age. With a natural talent that couldn’t be taught and a deep drive to become better, she began making waves across the local swim clubs and never looked back.

For any top-performing, world-class athlete, there’s a level of dedication that sets them above the rest, and Summer’s commitment to her craft was quickly driving her forward - and it paid off. At just 14 years old, she was selected to the Canadian Olympic team for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, making her one of the youngest athletes to ever compete at the Games.

Facing the best in the world, Summer competed in the 400m freestyle and finished in 4th place, just missing out on the podium. But no matter where she officially placed, she still won. Her performance captivated the attention of the swimming world and propelled her onto the world stage.

Breaking Through

But Summer was just getting started. Her meteoric rise continued in 2022 at the World Aquatics Championships where, if there was any doubt before, she loudly announced to the world that she was here to stay. She won gold in the 200m butterfly and the 400m individual medley and set new junior world records in both.

In Birmingham at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, Summer picked up exactly where she left off a few weeks earlier. She won a total of six medals including gold in both the 200m and 400m individual medley and silver in the 400m freestyle, which set a new Canadian national record.

At the 2023 Canadian World Championship trials, Summer set two new world record times in the 400m freestyle and 400m individual medley and continued to solidify her status as one of the top swimmers in the world, scorching into her second World Championship where she took bronze in the 200m freestyle, gold in the 200m butterfly, and gold in the 400m individual medley.

Olympic Glory in Paris

At the 2024 Paris Games, Summer proved she's one of the biggest talents in the pool. She won three gold medals in the 400m individual medley, 200m individual medley and 200m butterfly, and one silver medal in the 400m freestyle. Her contribution to Canada's success earned her the honour of being a flag bearer at the Closing Ceremony.

A Record-Breaking 2025

Summer took the 2025 Canadian Swim Trials by storm, continuing to redefine what's possible in the pool. She shattered three world records in the 400m freestyle, 200m individual medley, and 400m individual medley -- becoming the first swimmer since Michael Phelps to set three in one meet. With additional near-record swims in the 800m freestyle and 200m butterfly, Summer solidified herself as the best swimmer in the world heading into the 2025 World Championships in Singapore.

And she lived up to those expectations. She opened the Championships with a dominant performance in the 400m freestyle, securing gold with a time of 3:56.26 -- just a second behind the world record she set in the same event at the Canadian Swimming Trials in June.

Summer continued her relentless pace with her second gold medal in the 200m individual medley with a time of 2:06.69. She then took to her lane in the 200m butterfly final, securing her third gold medal with a time of 2:01.99, becoming just the second swimmer in history to record a time under 2:02 and narrowly missing out on a world record.

To finish off the 2025 World Aquatics Championships, Summer added her fourth gold medal by breaking her own competition record with a time of 4:25.78 in the 400m individual medley.

Summer became just the second female swimmer in history to win four gold medals at a single world championship event and just the third swimmer ever to win five individual medals, joining Michael Phelps and Sarah Sjostrom.

Still on the Rise

Her dominance in the 400m individual medley is unmatched: she holds 9 of the 10 fastest times ever recorded in the event, which requires swimmers to complete a grueling sequence of all four strokes — butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle.

On July 5, 2026, at the Canadian Swimming Trials in Montreal, Summer broke the oldest standing record in women's swimming, clocking 2:01.65 in the 200m butterfly to erase Liu Zige's 17-year-old world record of 2:01.81.

Summer McIntosh's current World Records (Long Course):

200m Butterfly: 2:01.65 (2026 Canadian Swimming Trials)
400m Freestyle: 3:54.18 (2025 Canadian Trials)
200m Individual Medley: 2:05.70 (2025 Canadian Trials)
400m Individual Medley: 4:23.65 (2025 Canadian Trials)

Summer McIntosh's current World Records (Short Course):

400m Freestyle: 3:50.25 (2024 World Aquatics Swimming Championships, Budapest)
200m Butterfly: 1:59.32 (2024 World Aquatics Swimming Championships, Budapest)
400m Individual Medley: 4:15.48 (2024 World Aquatics Swimming Championships, Budapest)

What's Next

With a relentless dedication and a drive to get better, there won’t be much that will slow down Summer McIntosh as she continues to make Canada proud on the global stage. If anything, her career is just getting off the starting block.

Summer McIntosh Milestones:

2026

1st place - 2026 Canadian Swimming Trials - 200m butterfly, world record (Montreal, Canada)
1st place - 2026 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships - 400m IM (Irvine, USA)
2nd place - 2026 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships - 200m IM (Irvine, USA)
2nd place - 2026 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships - 200m freestyle (Irvine, USA)
3rd place - 2026 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships - 4x200m free relay

2025

1st place - 2025 World Aquatics Championships - 400m IM (Singapore)
3rd place - 2025 World Aquatics Championships - 800m freestyle (Singapore)
1st place - 2025 World Aquatics Championships - 200m butterfly (Singapore)
1st place - 2025 World Aquatics Championships - 200m IM (Singapore)
1st place - 2025 World Aquatics Championships - 400m freestyle (Singapore)
1st place - 2025 Canadian Swimming Trials -- 200m butterfly (Victoria, British Columbia)
1st place - 2025 Canadian Swimming Trials -- 800m freestyle (Victoria, British Columbia)
1st place - 2025 Canadian Swimming Trials -- 400m IM (Victoria, British Columbia)
1st place - 2025 Canadian Swimming Trials -- 200m IM (Victoria, British Columbia)
1st place - 2025 Canadian Swimming Trials -- 400m Freestyle (Victoria, British Columbia)

2024

1st Place - 2024 World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25 m) - 400m IM (Budapest, Hungary)
1st Place - 2024 World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25 m) - 200m butterfly (Budapest, Hungary)
1st Place - 2024 World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25 m) - 400m freestyle (Budapest, Hungary)
1st place - Paris 2024 Olympics - 200m butterfly (Paris, France)
1st place - Paris 2024 Olympics - 200m IM (Paris, France)
1st place - Paris 2024 Olympics - 400m IM (Paris, France)
2nd place - Paris 2024 Olympics - 400m freestyle (Paris, France)

2023

1st place - 2023 FINA World Aquatics Championships - 400m IM (Fukuoka, Japan)
1st place - 2023 FINA World Aquatics Championships - 200m butterfly (Fukuoka, Japan)
3rd place - 2023 FINA World Aquatics Championships - 200m freestyle (Fukuoka, Japan)
3rd place - 2023 FINA World Aquatics Championships - 4x100m medley relay (Fukuoka, Japan)
1st place - 2023 Canadian Swimming Trials (Toronto, Canada)
4th place - 2023 FINA World Aquatics Championships - 400m freestyle (Fukuoka, Japan)

2022

1st place - 2022 FINA World Aquatics Championships - 400m IM (Budapest, Hungary)
1st place - 2022 FINA World Aquatics Championships - 200m butterfly (Budapest, Hungary)
2nd place - 2022 FINA World Aquatics Championships - 400m freestyle (Budapest, Hungary)
3rd place - 2022 FINA World Aquatics Championships - 4x200m free relay (Budapest, Hungary)
1st place - 2022 Commonwealth Games - 400m IM (Birmingham, England)
1st place - 2022 Commonwealth Games - 200m IM (Birmingham, England)
2nd place - 2022 Commonwealth Games - 400m free (Birmingham, England)
2nd place - 2022 Commonwealth Games - 4x100m medley relay (Birmingham, England)
2nd place - 2022 Commonwealth Games - 4x200m free relay (Birmingham, England)
3rd place - 2022 Commonwealth Games - 4x100m free relay (Birmingham, England)