Katie Ledecky was long the queen of the 800m freestyle. That is no longer necessarily the case.
For over a decade, quite literally no one was able to come close to beating the American swimmer. She defended her gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, successfully completing the three-peat after finishing first in London in 2012 and in Rio in 2016.
It got to the point where Ledecky was essentially competing against herself, seeing if she could beat her previous marks. Not only did she consistently break her own world record, no other swimmer was sniffing her times, leading to the infamous meme from the Tokyo Olympics.
Safe to say Katie Ledecky is actually unstoppable in the women's 800m freestyle. pic.twitter.com/LWZTIXkR0o
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) July 31, 2021
That is, until a Canadian teenager came in and stunned the swimming world this year.
Summer McIntosh put her name on the map in 2021 when she participated in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics at 14. She didn't win a medal, but neither did Michael Phelps at his first Olympic Games.
The Toronto native is primed to finish atop a podium this summer, especially after defeating Ledecky in the 800m freestyle at USA Swimming's 2024 Southern Zone South Sectionals.
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Here's more on that finish and what records McIntosh does hold heading into the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Summer McIntosh records
At the 2024 Southern Zone South Sectionals, McIntosh clocked in at 8:11.39, smashing Ledeckys' time of 8:17.12 out of the pool. The 17-year-old McIntosh also broke the Commonwealth record previously held by Australia's Ariarne Titmus (8:13.59).
McIntosh didn't set a World record, but she did become the first woman to defeat Ledecky in a final since the American was 13 years old in 2010 — an incredibly impressive feat. The Canadian's mark is the 17th-fastest recorded time in the 800m freestyle, with Ledecky owning the other 16 best marks.
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While she doesn't own the world record in the 800m freestyle, McIntosh does have one in a different race. The 17-year-old set a new world record in the 400m individual medley at the 2024 Canadian Olympic Swimming Trials. McIntosh's time of 4:24.38 was nearly a second and a half under her previous world record of 4:25.87, which she set the year prior during the 2023 Canadian Swimming Trials.
She did not participate in the 400m IM at her first Olympics, but she will take part in the race in Paris. McIntosh is viewed as a heavy favorite to win gold in the event.
