{"id":594057,"date":"2024-08-03T12:22:51","date_gmt":"2024-08-03T19:22:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=594057"},"modified":"2024-08-03T15:08:24","modified_gmt":"2024-08-03T22:08:24","slug":"paris-olympics-day-8-finals-summer-mcintosh-overtakes-americans-for-200-im-olympic-gold","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/paris-olympics-day-8-finals-summer-mcintosh-overtakes-americans-for-200-im-olympic-gold\/","title":{"rendered":"Paris Olympics, Day 8 Finals: Summer McIntosh Overtakes Americans For 200 IM Olympic Gold"},"content":{"rendered":"

Paris Olympics, Day 8 Finals: Summer McIntosh Overtakes Americans For 200 IM Olympic Gold<\/strong><\/p>\n

Three women racing in the women’s 200 individual medley final Saturday evening in Paris had already visited the summit, reaching the sport’s highest target with an Olympic gold medal at least once each. A fourth swimmer was the silver medalist from the last Olympics, a past world champion in the event and the top qualifier from the semifinals after waiting all week for one event while her competitors wore down through rounds of their previous events.<\/p>\n

An Olympic final as accomplished as any this week, even all the race’s principle figures are age 23 or younger, one of them just 17. This was the grudge match, a race that could settle the title of top female swimmer in the world for 2024.<\/p>\n

Canada’s\u00a0Summer McIntosh<\/strong> and the American pairing of Alex Walsh<\/strong> and\u00a0Kate Douglass<\/strong> owned the middle lanes, with Australia’s\u00a0Kaylee McKeown<\/strong> out in lane one after navigating a Friday night double, with the 200 IM coming just moments after the 200 backstroke final and medal ceremony. Each swimmer in the field has preferred strokes and weaker strokes, so lead changes were expected. The extent to which the swimmers accentuated their strengths and minimized their weaknesses would determine a champion.<\/p>\n

After a race that saw three different swimmers hold leads at the various turns, McIntosh pulled ahead and secured her third Olympic gold medal of the week.<\/p>\n

“It\u2019s pretty surreal,” McIntosh said. “I\u2019m just so proud of myself how I was able to recover and manage these events because it is a lot. The reason I\u2019m able to do this is because of all the hard work and dedication I\u2019ve given to this moment, along with all my family and my teammates and coaches that have also worked so hard for me to be here today.”<\/p>\n

The race proceeded exactly as expected through the first 150 meters: Douglass blasting out ahead of McIntosh on the butterfly before McIntosh took over with an enormous backstroke split. Off the midway wall, though, Walsh quickly ran her down on breaststroke and took over the lead heading into the freestyle. McKeown was out of the mix for gold at that point, but McIntosh and Douglass were both charging.<\/p>\n

Down the stretch, McIntosh pulled up alongside Walsh and took the lead in the final 15 meters on her way to touching in 2:06.56, clipping the Olympic record of 2:06.58 set by Katinka Hosszu<\/strong> eight years ago.<\/p>\n

“I knew at the 150 mark, I might be behind,” McIntosh said. ” I couldn\u2019t really see where I was, but I knew that I could just bring it home as best as possible because I do swim the 400 IM, and I know how to work that endurance and have quick transitions. I knew it was going to be a quick race, but I\u2019m happy with the result tonight.”<\/p>\n

Douglass took silver in 2:06.92, her second individual medal of the week and third overall medal. I knew I really needed to focus on swimming my own race because we all have our strengths and weaknesses there, and so I just focused on staying in my own lane and not getting too stressed out about anyone next to me,” Douglass said. “I just gave it all I had knowing it\u2019s my last race of the meet.”<\/p>\n

Walsh touched third in 2:07.06, but moments afterward, she was disqualified for an illegal backstroke-to-breaststroke turn<\/a>. That gave McKeown, who touched in 2:08.08, the bronze medal, a half-second ahead of China’s Yu Yiting<\/strong> (2:08.49).<\/p>\n

Notably, the race included only seven swimmers after Australia’s\u00a0Ella Ramsay\u00a0<\/strong>was a late withdrawal due to illness, with her spot not filled by a reserve.<\/p>\n