PARIS – By now, we’re getting a good idea at the considerable talent and tenacity that Canadian swimming sensation Summer McIntosh brings to the Olympic waters.
But don’t sleep on what may be one of the most underrated components of her tool kit as she prepares to make Canadian Olympic history here on Thursday night.
“I’m definitely a professional napper at this point,” McIntosh said when she was asked just how good she was at getting the mid-day snooze so integral to a swimmer’s rest and recovery routine. “I think any swimmer can attest to being a good napper. It kind of becomes a skill that you learn doing two-a-day (workouts) all the time.”
On a typical training day, McIntosh is in the water for her first workout at 5 a.m. There is often another session later in the day so nap time is crucial to maximize the effort of such a rigorous workload. At an action-packed major meet like the Olympics, many of her days have morning and evening races, so downtime is critical in that environment as well.
“I try just to sleep as much as possible even though it’s hard after all the adrenaline and excitement,” McIntosh said of how she’s handled her ambitious itinerary here in France. “Eating as much as possible and letting your mind take a rest as well. All of those thinks kind of add up over time. I’m just trying to get to Day 9 of the meet feeling as fresh as possible. It’s almost like a job to recover sometimes because it does take a lot of energy to figure out what’s going to be best.”
So far, McIntosh finds herself in a terrific rhythm through five days of the meet. Comfortable and confident, she’s set for the latest medal assignment in Thursday’s 200-metre butterfly final that she’ll be favoured to win after recording the fastest time in Wednesday’s semi-final.
A victory would be historic for the 17-year-old Toronto swimmer in that it would make her the first Canadian woman to win two gold medals at one Olympic Games and the first from her country of either sex to win two at one Summer Games.
With the 200-metre medley still to go, a third gold would surpass the two that speed skaters Marc Gagnon (Salt Lake City, 2002) and Gaetan Boucher (Sarajevo, 1984) as the most by any Canadian in a single Olympics. McIntosh is expected to race in two relay events as well giving her a shot at matching long track speed skater Cindy Klassen’s five medal performance (one gold, two silver, two bronze) at the 2006 Turin Games.
It’s pretty heady stuff by a young competitor who is showing all the signs of just getting started in her career.
To help reach those goals, McIntosh has made good use of her time off her with off days from competition (Sunday and Tuesday) following her medal swims in her longest events, the 400-metre freestyle and 400-metre medley.
So what did she do on Tuesday, besides nap time, of course?
“Just rest and recover,” McIntosh said. “I got caught up with some of my friends and family, which was nice, but tried to keep in the zone as much as possible. I didn’t go on social media and stuff, I want to try to do that after the Games. It’s all about outside of the pool right now.
“I know that once I dive in, I’m good. But it’s really important to recover as best as possible.”