Summer McIntosh will have another chance to earn her first Olympic swimming medal on Saturday afternoon.
The Canadian teen sensation qualified fourth for the women’s 400-metre freestyle final at 2:52 p.m. ET, posting a time of four minutes 2.65 seconds in her heat at La Defense Arena in Paris.
McIntosh, 17, was fourth (4:02.42) in the race in her 2021 Olympic debut in Tokyo.
The Toronto athlete captured silver medals in the 400 free at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and 2023 world championships.
McIntosh will also compete in the 200 free, 400 individual medley — in which she holds the world record — 200 butterfly and 200 medley in Paris, and could be part of as many as four relay events.
And there is an opportunity for her to surpass Penny Oleksiak’s four-medal haul from 2016 in Rio, the Canadian record for a single Summer Games.
In Saturday’s heat, McIntosh finished 1-10th of a second behind winner Erika Fairweather of New Zealand.
American Katie Ledecky (4:02.19) took the third and final heat over Australian rival and world record holder Ariarne Titmus (4:02.46).
Ledecky captured 2016 Olympic gold, followed by Titmus five years later.
WATCH | McIntosh speaks with CBC Sports’ Devin Heroux before Paris Olympics:
CBC Sports’ Devin Heroux speaks with 17-year-old swimming sensation from Toronto one week out from the start of the Olympics.
Maggie Mac Neil of London, Ont., will continue her quest at making Olympic history on Saturday afternoon.
She qualified seventh for the women’s 100 butterfly semifinals at 2:30 p.m., finishing second in her heat in 57 flat, 28-100ths behind American Torri Huske.
Mac Neil will try to become the first repeat champion in the event after setting a 55.59 personal best to win the 2021 Olympic final in Tokyo.
The 24-year-old is also eyeing the 55.18 world record, set by Gretchen Walsh of the United States on June 14 in Indianapolis.
Sweden’s Sarah Sjoestroem boasts the Olympic mark of 55.48 from 2016 in Rio.
Rebecca Smith of Red Deer, Alta., was last in her eight-woman heat in 58.85 and did not advance.
The swimming competition runs through Aug. 4 (CBC TV, CBC Gem, CBCSports.ca)
Source Agencies
