Summer McIntosh isn’t just Canada’s teenage swimming sensation; she’s rewriting history with every stroke. At just 18 years old, the Toronto native has already racked up Olympic golds, shattered world records, and outpaced legends like Katie Ledecky. With her eye on the future and her name cemented in the record books, McIntosh is diving into 2025 at full speed. Here’s a look at her journey from prodigy to powerhouse, and everything you need to know about the swimmer the world can’t stop watching.

Who Is Summer McIntosh?

Summer McIntosh was born on 18th August 2006 and is currently 18 years old. The Canadian competitive swimmer is a three-time Olympic champion, a two-time Commonwealth Games gold champion, and a 4 time World Aquatics champion.

She gained her first international attention back in the Tokyo Olympics that happened in 2020 when she was 14 years old. McIntosh has broken several records recently, including the world record in the women’s 400m freestyle with a time of 3:54.18 and the 200m individual medley with a time of 2:05.70. Furthermore, she holds the world record in the 400m individual medley.

She is an exceptional Swimming star with accolades in 400m freestyle, 200m individual medley, 400m individual medley, and 200m butterfly.

Where Is Summer McIntosh From?

The 18-year-old Olympic star is from Toronto, Ontario, and it seems like she was destined to be in the water, cutting through like a fierce mermaid. Her mother, Jill Horstead, had competed in the 1984 Summer Games in swimming, so naturally, Summer too, found a love for swimming at a very young age.

At 14, she is the youngest member of Team Canada that was selected for the Tokyo Olympics. She also achieved a notable fourth place in the 400 m freestyle. After that, she became a world star. One year later, on her World Aquatics Championships debut in Budapest, she won 200m butterfly and 400m individual medley.

Her older sister Brooke is also a high-performing figure skater. Her family environment fostered a sense of sports and athleticism from a young age which has made her an Olympic star at such a young age.

What High School Does Summer McIntosh Attend and Where Does She Train?

Summer McIntosh has attended Ontario Virtual School as a student since 2020 and balances her academic studies with her commitments to swimming. She is also part of the Exceptional Athlete Program at Silverthorn Collegiate, a Toronto District School Board school. Her training and competition practices need a flexible learning environment, which OVS provides through their online class facilities.

“I stopped doing regular school after Grade 8 because my training schedule is intense and remote learning works best,” McIntosh explained while talking to Toronto Life. “Most of my friends are people I have trained with, even at home in Toronto.”

She has not slowed down since her performance in the Tokyo and Paris Olympics. As per the school’s official page, she is on a roll in 2025 as well! In the 2025 Southern Zone South Regional Championship, Summer competed in the 800m Freestyle competition, finishing with a time of 8:09.86. This time makes Summer the second swimmer in history to go under a time of 8:10.

How Old Is Summer McIntosh in 2025?

Born on August 18, 2006, Summer will be 18 years old in July 2025. Despite her young age, she has already become a household name in world swimming due to her record-breaking performances at both junior and senior levels.

Summer is not even 20 yet and has already become an Olympic medalist. She has three gold medals and one silver medal from her Olympic performances. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, she won gold in 200m butterfly. In the same Games, she won gold in 200m medley.

She also achieved gold medals in the 400m medley in Paris and finally a silver medal at the 400m freestyle in the Paris Olympics in 2024. She is a swimming prodigy because her Olympic wins are not all. After all, she has won 8 medals in World Championships LC, 8 medals in World Championships SC, and 6 medals in Commonwealth Games back in Birmingham.

What Is Summer McIntosh’s Height?

Summer McIntosh is approximately 5 feet 7 inches (170 cm) tall. Her compact but powerful frame allows her to dominate in middle-distance events, combining stamina with stroke precision and explosive turns.

Many other swimmers are taller than McIntosh. McIntosh is the only swimmer to defeat Ledecky, who is 6ft tall, in the 800 free in at least 13 years, going back to before Ledecky’s surprise wins at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials and ensuing London Games.

McIntosh’s physical build contributes to her success through a high stroke turnover rate, efficient body positioning, and strong core strength. In fact, her height might not be a hindrance as it helps her make faster turns while making strong and efficient strokes. Her high elbow catch technique definitely contributes to her swimming power which helped her win great competitions like the Olympics.

Is Summer McIntosh Going to College or Competing in NCAA?

As of mid-2025, Summer McIntosh has not enrolled to any NCAA college swimming program. She is focused full-time on her professional career with Swimming Canada, training for major international meets like the Paris 2024 Olympics and World Championships.

As of now, she has not entered into any colleges but is looking at Bob Bowman and the pro group at the University of Texas as a leading option.

The idea of training with Bowman, who guided Michael Phelps, is pretty appealing to her. “Bob coaching the greatest of all time — swimmer Michael Phelps — being able to do all those events is definitely an attraction,” McIntosh said in an exclusive interview with CBC Sports.

McIntosh confirmed that she’ll continue training with Arckey through this summer’s World Championships in Singapore. She was planning on taking a visit to the University of Texas in March.

She is on a roll in 2025 and lowered an astonishing three world records in five days at the 2025 Bell Canadian Swimming Trials, which took place in Victoria in June. McIntosh. Are you excited to see what else she does and achieves this year?