Coming off a historic performance at the Olympics in Paris, Summer McIntosh will return to international competition to close out 2024 at the Short Course World Championships in Budapest.
McIntosh headlines an 18-swimmer roster for the championships revealed by Swimming Canada on Wednesday, and she’ll be joined by two other Paris Olympic medalists, Kylie Masse and Ilya Kharun, along with the most decorated Canadian female in Olympic history, Penny Oleksiak.
McIntosh became the first Canadian to win three gold medals at a single Olympics in Paris, coming out on top in the women’s 200 fly, 200 IM and 400 IM to go along with a silver medal performance in the 400 free.
This will be the 18-year-old’s second appearance at Short Course Worlds, having made her debut at the 2021 championships in Abu Dhabi, winning gold as a member of the Canadian women’s 4×200 free relay and adding silvers in the women’s 400 free and 4×100 medley relay.
“I am excited to end 2024 with the World Aquatics short course championships at one of my favorite venues and cities in the world,” said McIntosh, according to Swimming Canada.
“Team Canada typically brings a smaller team with a lot of spirit ready to embrace another opportunity to go up against the very best. It should be a lot of fun to race short course meters for the first time in a couple of years and great to see everyone again.”
McIntosh notably claimed the first two long course world titles of her career in Budapest, winning World Championship gold in 2022 in the 200 fly and 400 IM.
At the last edition of Short Course Worlds in 2022, held in Melbourne, the Canadian team finished 4th on the medal table with three gold and 14 total medals.
Maggie MacNeil, who is not on the team this year, led the way by winning three individual titles, but there will be four swimmers on the 2024 roster who won individual medals last time out: Masse, Kharun, Ingrid Wilm and Finlay Knox.
Masse has won a total of nine medals at Short Course Worlds across three appearances, while Oleksiak won four medals at her last SC Worlds appearance on home soil at Windsor 2016.
The women’s roster also features a pair of athletes competing in the NCAA this season, Regan Rathwell and Emma Finlin, plus 2024 Olympic finalists Sydney Pickrem and Mary-Sophie Harvey.
In addition to Kharun and Knox, the men’s team features veteran sprinter Yuri Kisil and rising star Oliver Dawson.
Dawson, 16 is coming off winning three medals at Junior Pan Pacs in August.
“I’m excited to be named to my first senior team,” said Dawson. “I look forward to competing against some of the best swimmers in the world. I’m ready to embrace this incredible opportunity and give my all, making unforgettable memories while representing my country on the world stage.”
Kharun, Alex Axon and Tristan Jankovics give the men’s roster three swimmers competing in the NCAA this season.
WOMEN’S ROSTER (10)
MEN’S ROSTER (8)
“As we move forward from a very successful summer that was focused on the Paris Olympic Games and backed up with our most successful Junior Pan Pacs performance, it is great to announce the world 25m championships team for Budapest as the first event in the quad to Los Angeles 2028,” said High Performance Director and National Coach John Atkinson. “We have some great potential on this team and a blend of medal-winning experience and new athletes to the senior team.”
Although Swimming Canada has not yet released which events their swimmers will contest, it’s exciting to project what type of schedule McIntosh will take on in Budapest.
Despite only racing short course meters at a select number of meets over the last few years, McIntosh currently owns the Canadian Record in the women’s 400 free (3:52.80), 800 free (8:07.12) and 400 IM (4:21.49).
The 2024 Short Course World Championships will run from December 10-15 in Budapest, Hungary.