Rising Star: Summer McIntosh Crowned World Junior Female Swimmer of the Year!

Explore all of our 2024 Swammy Awards here.

Much has been said about Summer McIntosh’s remarkable year, and there is undoubtedly more to be written. She experienced an outstanding year, marked by her impressive collection of four medals (three gold) at the 2024 Olympic Games. Her achievements in Paris led to multiple accolades, including World Aquatics’ Female Swimmer of the Year and Canadian Athlete of the Year.

The medals and honors she has received this year alone surpass the totals of some athletes in entire careers, making it challenging to remember that McIntosh merely celebrated her 18th birthday in September. However, her position as a junior athlete this year plays a significant role in why her performances have been so exceptional, solidifying her as the undisputed recipient of the 2024 Swammy for World Junior Female Swimmer of the Year. Remarkably, she also claimed this title in 2023.

This choice is rather evident—she was the only female junior swimmer to secure Olympic gold, achieving that feat three times. McIntosh’s performances in 2023 positioned her as the frontrunner for gold in both the 200 butterfly and 400 IM. She validated that status in Paris, winning both events while establishing Olympic, world junior, and Americas records in the 200 fly with a time of 2:03.03, making her the second-fastest performer in history. Although her 400 IM performance fell short of the world record she set at the Canadian Olympic Trials, she dominated the competition, winning by 5.69 seconds (4:27.71).

She arguably encountered her most challenging test in the 200 IM. Fans had long anticipated witnessing McIntosh, Kate Douglass, Kaylee McKeown, and Alex Walsh compete against each other in this event. Each has been among the fastest 200 IM competitors in history, yet for various reasons, they hadn’t all appeared in the same international final until now. The stage was set for an exciting showdown to see who would emerge victorious. Despite having the busiest schedule of the four swimmers, McIntosh surged ahead during the freestyle leg, claiming the gold with a time of 2:06.56, setting new Olympic, world junior, and Canadian records.

This performance added an emphatic conclusion to an extraordinary Olympics for McIntosh, securing her place in Canadian Olympic history during her second Olympic appearance. She was the youngest member of Team Canada at the Tokyo Games, finishing fourth in the 400 freestyle. Since her initial Olympic appearance, McIntosh made history by becoming the youngest World Champion in over a decade at the 2022 World Championships.

Competing as a junior offers numerous opportunities for growth. Exceptional swimmers capitalize on these chances, even when they may not be the most enjoyable, and utilize them to advance further in the sport. McIntosh’s capacity to learn from setbacks was instrumental in her accomplishments this year. McIntosh participated in another highly awaited event at the 2023 World Championships—the 400 freestyle—where she faced off against Ariarne Titmus and Katie Ledecky. All three had previously held the world record in this event.

The women’s 400 freestyle final, taking place on the first evening in Fukuoka, marked the first instance where McIntosh stumbled since her breakout. Anticipation surrounded the podium, expected to feature a combination of herself, Titmus, and Ledecky, but McIntosh ultimately finished fourth and off the podium. Despite this challenging start, she was able to rebound and find success in her other events. In Paris, she authored a fresh chapter in her narrative with this event on the international stage, kicking off her Games with her inaugural Olympic medal, a silver, in 3:58.37.

McIntosh concluded her year at the 2024 Short Course World Championships, resuming her winning streak by claiming three more gold medals in three world record times. On the first day of the competition, she shattered the 400 freestyle world record and continued to build on that success, breaking two Mireia Belmonte Garcia world records in the 200 butterfly and 400 IM.

Additionally, she secured a silver in the 200 backstroke, setting a new Missy Franklin world junior record from 2011 and joining an exclusive group of women who have completed the event in under two minutes.

Nonetheless, following the final, McIntosh conveyed to CBC’s Devin Heroux her dissatisfaction with the performance, as she had aimed to bring home yet another gold medal. In her first international final in the 200 backstroke, she reached the podium with another historic effort—maximizing her choice to forgo the 200 IM to explore this new event in the inaugural meet of the new quad. This foreshadows what we can anticipate from McIntosh throughout the remainder of this Olympic cycle—she demonstrated her potential to the world in Paris and will endeavor to build a legacy as she transitions from the junior ranks to LA 2028.

Honorable Mentions:

• Katie Grimes, USA: Katie Grimes made her inaugural Olympic team at the age of 15, becoming the youngest athlete on Team USA’s Olympic swimming roster since Amanda Beard debuted at 14 in 1996. Fast forward three years, and Grimes emerged as the first American athlete to secure qualification for Paris, earning her second Games appearance in the 10K. Subsequently, this 18-year-old also earned a spot on the U.S. Olympic team for pool events, qualifying in the 400 IM and 1500 freestyle—her designated event in 2021. Grimes has established herself as a key component of the U.S. international team, achieving medals at the 2022 and 2023 Worlds. Although she fell short of the final in the 1500 free, Grimes secured her first Olympic medal in the 400 IM, clinching silver and assisting the U.S. in repeating as silver and bronze medalists. After experimenting with short-course meters at the Singapore World Cup, Grimes also captured another silver medal in the 400 IM in Budapest, establishing an American record (4:20.14).
• Sara Curtis, Italy: Sara Curtis made her presence known on the senior stage this season, both nationally and internationally. She set a new Italian record in the 50 freestyle in March, clocking in at 24.56. This time, pending official confirmation, stands as a European Junior record, alongside her 26.08 in the 50 backstroke achieved a month later. Following this, she qualified for her first Olympic appearance, where she reached the semifinal in the women’s 50 freestyle and competed in Italy’s eighth-place women’s 4×100 freestyle relay. Curtis specializes in sprint freestyle and backstroke and progressed in her career at the 2024 Short Course World Championships. She achieved a sixth-place finish in the 50 backstroke after recording a world junior record in the semifinal (26.03) and finished seventh in the 50 freestyle. Ultimately, she anchored the mixed 4×50 freestyle relay in 23.34, contributing to Italy’s first gold of the event.
• Mizuki Hirai, Japan: 17-year-old Mizuki Hirai experienced a strong 2024 season. As she prepared for the Olympic Games in June, Hirai shattered the official girls’ 100 butterfly world junior record, finishing with a time of 56.33. This swim represented a personal best for Hirai by 0.58 seconds and enhanced her ranking as Japan’s #2 performer in history. She is now merely a quarter of a second shy of Rikako Ikee’s national record of 56.08, set in 2018. Hirai reached the 100 butterfly Olympic final, finishing seventh in her first Olympics; she also participated in Japan’s fifth-place women’s 4×100 medley relay. Hirai reaffirmed her butterfly skills in both short-course meters and long-course at the 2024 Short Course World Championships, finishing fifth in Budapest.