The Canadian phenom is a top favorite in her signature event.
Seventeen-year-old swimming prodigy Summer McIntosh earned her first Olympic medal—and Canada's first of the Paris Games—on Saturday, clinching silver in the women's 400m freestyle.
While McIntosh appeared slightly disappointed, it was a noteworthy achievement. She competed against Australia's Ariarne Titmus, who retained her Olympic title, and surpassed six-time gold medalist Katie Ledecky in what is arguably the most fiercely contested swimming event in Paris.
On Monday, McIntosh takes center stage as the overwhelming favorite. The betting odds give her over a 90% chance of winning gold in the women's 400m individual medley, a demanding event involving eight laps and four strokes: butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle.
McIntosh, the world record holder in the 400 IM, is effectively a two-time reigning world champion, having won back-to-back titles in 2022 and 2023. She opted to skip this year's world championships, which were too close to the Olympics, joining many top swimmers. Additionally, McIntosh claimed consecutive titles in the 200m butterfly, making her the first Canadian swimmer to achieve four world titles.
At the 2023 World Championships, McIntosh dominated the 400 IM, winning by over four seconds against 18-year-old American Katie Grimes, who was also the runner-up in 2022. Other contenders include bronze medalists Emma Weyant of the U.S. and Jenna Forrester of Australia. Reigning Olympic champion Yui Ohashi of Japan did not qualify.
The heats for the women’s 400 IM begin at 5 a.m. ET, with the final scheduled for 2:30 p.m. ET.
Also competing for Canada on Monday is Mary-Sophie Harvey, who will race in the women’s 200m freestyle final at 3:41 p.m. ET after qualifying in eighth place. Australian Ariarne Titmus is favored to defend her Olympic title in this event. McIntosh, who won bronze in the 200m freestyle at last year’s worlds, chose to focus on her other events for the Olympics, dropping the 200 free from her slate.
Other Top Canadians to Watch on Monday:
Judo: Christa Deguchi aims for gold
The 28-year-old judo newcomer, who won her second world title last year and earned a silver at this year’s world championships, is ranked No. 1 globally. She’s a strong favorite to win gold in the women’s 57-kilogram division.
The one-day tournament kicks off at 4 a.m. ET. Deguchi has a bye to the round of 16 and will compete in the 13th match of the day on mat 1. The medal rounds begin at 10 a.m. ET, offering Deguchi a chance to secure Canada’s first gold of the Games.
The tournament features a single-elimination format, but judokas who lose in the quarterfinals will enter a repechage draw for a shot at one of the two bronze medals available.
The rejuvenated Canadian gymnastics team secured the eighth and final spot in Saturday’s qualifiers. Félix Dolci and René Cournoyer have also advanced to the individual all-around final, set for Wednesday.
Canada’s women’s gymnastics team earned their final berth by finishing fifth on Sunday. Four-time Olympian Ellie Black led the team with an eighth-place finish, qualifying for the individual all-around final. She also advanced to the vault final with a seventh-place finish, aiming to become the first Canadian woman to win an Olympic medal in artistic gymnastics. Shallon Olsen will join Black in the vault final after placing sixth.
American star Simone Biles, despite an apparent calf injury, topped the women’s all-around leaderboard and led the U.S. to first place in team qualifying.
The fifth-ranked Canadian women’s basketball team features four active WNBA players: Kia Nurse (Los Angeles Sparks), Bridget Carleton (Minnesota Lynx), Laeticia Amihere (Atlanta Dream), and rookie Aaliyah Edwards (Washington Mystics). Their journey to the Olympics was quite dramatic.
In their last-chance qualifier in Hungary this February, Canada needed to avoid finishing last in the four-team round-robin tournament. Despite a 1-2 record, Hungary's hopes of ending a 44-year Olympic drought were dashed when they blew a 22-point lead and lost 73-72 to Spain. This surprising result secured Canada’s fourth consecutive Olympic berth.
In the group stage, Canada will compete against seventh-ranked France, third-ranked Australia on Thursday, and twelfth-ranked Nigeria on August 4. The top two teams from each group and the two best third-place teams will advance to the knockout stage.
Additional Highlights
Diving: Nathan Zsombor-Murray and Rylan Wiens aim for the podium in the 10m synchronized final. The pair won bronze at the 2022 World Championships, making history as the first Canadians to medal in this event, though they finished fifth at this year’s worlds. The final takes place Monday at 5 a.m. ET
Rugby Sevens: Canada’s women’s team continues their campaign to stay in medal contention. After a win over Fiji and a loss to top-ranked New Zealand, they finish the group stage against China at 10 a.m. ET. The quarterfinals start at 3 p.m. ET, with the semifinals and medal matches scheduled for Tuesday.
Rowing: Both Canadian rowing boats compete Monday. The lightweight women’s double sculls team of Jenny Casson and Jill Moffatt, who placed third in their opening heat, will race in the repechage at 5 a.m. ET, aiming for a top-three finish to advance to Wednesday’s semifinals. The women’s eight crew, reigning Olympic champions, will race in their first-round heat at 6 a.m. ET. If they don’t win, they’ll head to the repechage on Thursday.
Beach Volleyball: Canada’s top duo, Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson, ranked third in the world, play their group-stage opener at 9 a.m. ET. Heather Bansley and Sophie Bukovec look to rebound from their opening loss with a match at 5 a.m. ET.
Tennis: Three of Canada’s four singles players advanced to the second round. Félix Auger-Aliassime, Bianca Andreescu, and Leylah Fernandez won their opening matches on Sunday.