Summer McIntosh Opens Up About Life Outside Swimming, Keys To Success; Teen Star Is a Drake Fan

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Photo Courtesy: Swimming Canada/Scott Grant

Summer McIntosh Opens Up About Life Outside Swimming, Keys To Success

Canadian sensation Summer McIntosh has put together one of the most dominating starts to a year in recent history. After breaking the 400-meter individual medley world record during the Canadian Trials, McIntosh opened up to Toronto Life about life outside swimming (as well as in the sport).

“Breaking that world record is something I’ve been dreaming about since I was a kid,” she said.

She also broke the world record in the 400 free, and a couple of junior world records at the Canadian Trials.

She said the the key to her success is her mental game.

“By the time you get to the competition, all of the physical work is done, so it really can come down to what’s going on in your head. There are athletes who like to visualize everything, down to the second, in order to feel confident. I try to disassociate and forget the actual competition; that way, it’s just another race, whether it’s a qualifying round or the Olympics,” McIntosh said. “I focus on all the training I’ve done, and that’s where my confidence comes from. Then I tell myself to just relax and have fun, which isn’t easy with all the pressure. But, the more you do it, the more you know what works for you.”

McIntosh has put everything into her swimming career, moving to Florida to train and doing school differently than most people.

“I stopped doing regular school after Grade 8 because my training schedule is intense and remote learning works best. Most of my friends are people I have trained with, even at home in Toronto,” she told Toronto Life. “I’ve made new friends in Florida, too. We’re all swimmers, but we’re also just normal teenagers.”

McIntosh is one of the favorites to medal at this year’s World Championships and next year’s Paris Olympics, though she will have to qualify next year. If she makes it, she would be the second swimmer in her family to make an Olympic team, following in the footsteps of her mother in 1984. She talked about wanting to follow her mother.

“I think it was less about swimming in particular and more about wanting to compete at an Olympic level like my mom,” she said. “As a kid I tried pretty much every sport you can think of—horseback riding, soccer, gymnastics, figure skating—before eventually deciding on swimming. I was competitive at everything, even board games and cards.”

McIntosh also discussed her preference for hip-hop music, specifically Drake, and noted that she’s a fan of “Keeping Up With the Kardashians.”

Read the full interview here.

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