Canadian swimming sensation Summer McIntosh is making a strategic coaching change in her quest for five gold medals at the upcoming Olympics. The 18-year-old from Toronto announced in an exclusive interview with CBC Sports that this will be her final season training at the Sarasota Sharks facility under coach Brent Arckey, who guided her to three gold medals and one silver at the Paris Olympics last summer.
McIntosh is considering collaboration with Bob Bowman, renowned for coaching American swimmer Michael Phelps to a record 23 Olympic gold medals, including eight at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Bowman recently led French swimmer Léon Marchand to four gold medals at the Paris Olympics.
“Bob coaching the greatest of all time—swimmer Michael Phelps—being able to do all those events is definitely an attraction,” McIntosh said. “As I move forward in my career, I still want to continue to develop other events.”
Reflecting on her time in Sarasota, McIntosh expressed gratitude: “Just to reflect on the past almost three years I’ve been in Sarasota, I’ve grown so much as a person and a swimmer. Coach Brent really pushed me to be the best swimmer I could be. I will forever cherish my years here. It’s been a great run.”
She will continue training with Arckey in preparation for the World Championships in Singapore at the end of July, where Arckey is expected to be part of the Canadian coaching team.
McIntosh plans to visit the University of Texas in early March, where Bowman leads the swim program and also runs a professional program. She clarified that she’s not interested in joining an NCAA program but is exploring professional teams that offer more flexibility and individual focus.
“I’m figuring out a pro team that I could join,” McIntosh said. “The NCAA is a great option but for me personally, I think a pro team makes more sense because it has a lot more flexibility and it’s a lot more individual.”
Bowman, 59, has an extensive coaching background, including serving as a coach on the U.S. Olympic team from 2004 to 2016. He was head coach at Arizona State University from 2015 to 2024 before moving to the University of Texas last year, where he leads a top-tier training group that includes Marchand, as well as American swimmers Regan Smith and Simone Manuel.
Arckey supports McIntosh’s potential move, stating, “If you can find me a better place then I’m all ears. It’s a great opportunity. I’ve been supportive of this the entire time. I want to make sure she’s going somewhere where she’s going to get better and spread her wings. It’s only a reflection on us.”
Under Arckey’s guidance, McIntosh has achieved world records, multiple world championship titles, and four Olympic medals. Notably, she became the first Canadian athlete to win three gold medals at a single Games during the Paris Olympics. She was also named Canada’s athlete of the year for 2024 and received the Female Swimmer of the Year award from World Aquatics.
McIntosh plans to add a fifth event to her program for the upcoming World Championships and the 2028 Olympics. Her current events include the 200-meter butterfly, 200-meter individual medley, 400-meter freestyle, and 400-meter individual medley, in which she holds the world record. She recently broke the Canadian and Commonwealth records in the 800-meter freestyle with a time that would have secured gold at the Paris Olympics.
“I definitely want to be doing five individual events. What that looks like, I don’t know exactly yet,” she said.
Arckey praised McIntosh’s potential, stating, “Summer can do whatever she wants in the sport. She’s got the gifts to do that. She trains and works really hard. It’s up to her on what she wants to do.”
McIntosh is determined to maximize her gold medal count at the Los Angeles Games in three years. “I think just getting my hand on the wall first and as many golds as possible is always the goal for me. Bottom line is win at all costs and whatever that takes,” she said. “Going into Paris, that was my goal. I fell a bit short of that but overall I’m so happy with it.”
Reflecting on her first Olympic medal, a silver, McIntosh noted, “I think getting my first Olympic medal and it being silver, having what that felt like really motivated me to not get any more throughout the meet.”
Arckey expressed pride in McIntosh’s growth, “I’m proud of her. I’m proud of what we’ve done. Obviously I’ll be sad to see her go, but at the same time part of what I do as a developmental coach is to encourage these kids to get out of the nest.”
He added, “When Summer came down here I said, Canada, we’ll take care of her because I knew how great she could be and how important she is to the country. Summer is a special, special kid.”
John Atkinson, Swimming Canada’s high-performance director, acknowledged Arckey’s significant role in McIntosh’s success, “Brent was open to trying different things, different camps, different events, but didn’t overload her. It would have been quite easy to add two more events this last year.”
As McIntosh embarks on this new chapter, she remains focused on her goals and the path ahead, “Obviously I’m brainstorming ideas on where I should be going to not just continue as a swimmer, but also develop as a human being and where might be a good place for me.”
Source: Swifteradio.com
