{"id":593816,"date":"2024-08-02T02:55:37","date_gmt":"2024-08-02T09:55:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=593816"},"modified":"2024-08-02T02:55:37","modified_gmt":"2024-08-02T09:55:37","slug":"paris-olympics-day-7-prelims-summer-mcintosh-chasing-third-gold-medal-grabs-top-seed-in-200-im","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/paris-olympics-day-7-prelims-summer-mcintosh-chasing-third-gold-medal-grabs-top-seed-in-200-im\/","title":{"rendered":"Paris Olympics, Day 7 Prelims: Summer McIntosh Chasing Third Gold Medal; Grabs Top Seed in 200 IM"},"content":{"rendered":"

Paris Olympics, Day 7 Prelims: Summer McIntosh Chasing Third Gold Medal; Grabs Top Seed in 200 IM<\/strong><\/p>\n

Four primary contenders. Three medals. Who will endure?<\/p>\n

The women’s 200-meter individual medley at the Olympic Games in Paris opened on Friday morning, its can’t-miss nature related to four distinct podium hopefuls – Canadian Summer McIntosh<\/strong>, Australian Kaylee McKeown<\/strong> and the American tandem of Kate<\/strong> Douglass and Alex Walsh<\/strong>. The first three women mentioned have already won gold medals over the past week while Walsh is the reigning silver medalist in the 200 IM.<\/p>\n

In the penultimate morning session of the meet, McIntosh produced the fastest time and the only mark under the 2:10 barrier. McIntosh checked in with a time of 2:09.90 to place ahead of China’s Yu Yiting<\/strong> (2:10.28).\u00a0McIntosh has been the female headliner at La Defense Arena, thanks to titles in the 400 individual medley and 200 butterfly, along with a silver medal in the 400 freestyle. Her performance on Thursday night was sensational, as the 17-year-old clocked the second-fastest time in history in the 200 fly, a mark of 2:03.03.<\/p>\n

Walsh grabbed the No. 3 seed for the semifinals by winning the last of the morning heats. Walsh coasted to a time of 2:10.48, which placed her ahead of Canadian Sydney Pickrem<\/strong> (2:10.63) and Douglass (2:10.70), her training partner at the University of Virginia. Aussie Ella Ramsay<\/strong> was sixth in 2:10.75 and Great Britain’s Abbie Wood<\/strong> was seventh in 2:10.95.<\/p>\n

The 2012 Olympic champion from London, China’s Ye Shiwen<\/strong> advanced in eighth, as she covered her four laps in 2:10.96. Meanwhile, McKeown was ninth after an easy 2:11.26. McKeown conserved energy for what will be a busy night, as she will defend her Olympic title in the final of the 200 backstroke and race the semifinals of the 200 IM.<\/p>\n

Reigning Olympic champion Yui Ohashi<\/strong> of Japan squeezed into the semifinals after finishing 14th in the morning. Ohashi touched the wall in 2:11.70.<\/p>\n