2028 Olympic schedule shift creates lineup wrinkle for McIntosh in pursuit of 5 individual gold medals
Listen to this article
Estimated 4 minutes
The audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.
Summer McIntosh now faces an unforeseen wrinkle in her drive for five individual gold medals at the 2028 Summer Olympics.
Following a transformative shift in scheduling for the next Summer Games announced Wednesday, scheduling conflicts have arisen that will affect the Canadian swimming star’s competition selection.
Arguably the most glaring change comes on the final of nine days of swimming, when the women’s 200-metre butterfly and 800m freestyle have been scheduled back-to-back.
The alteration effectively ends any likelihood of McIntosh pursuing the latter event despite making concrete strides to improve and challenge for gold in Los Angeles.
CBC Sports’ Devin Heroux asked Canadian swimmer Summer McIntosh what it’s like being one of the greatest Canadian athletes alive right now.
The 19-year-old from Toronto is a three-time world champion and reigning Olympic champion in the 200m fly, but logged the second-fastest women’s 800m free time ever (8:05.07) at Canadian trials in June.
“The new order does not put a roadblock up for Summer’s stated goal of vying for five golds in L.A.,” Byron MacDonald, University of Toronto head swimming coach, told CBC Sports.
“What it does do is shift the discussion from ‘What will Summer’s fifth event be — to Summer’s fifth event will almost for sure be the 200 freestyle.’”
McIntosh is all but assured to be competing in the 200m individual medley, 400m IM, 200m fly and 400m free.
“Her other two stated options for the fifth event were the 800 freestyle and the 200 backstroke — both have conflicts with other gold medal event attempts for Summer. With the 800 freestyle an impossible double, back to back with 200 butterfly, so for sure it is off the table,” MacDonald said.
“The 200 backstroke is the same session as the 200 IM, so it would be feasible with over an hour between the two races,” MacDonald said, “but why risk that when the 200 freestyle is a stand-alone event with no conflicts?”
McIntosh is expected to begin her Olympic campaign on Saturday, July 22 for the 400m freestyle final.
Tentative CBC Sports projection of McIntosh’s lineup for L.A. 2028:
- Day 1 – 400m freestyle final
- Day 2 – Off
- Day 3 – 400m IM final
- Day 4 – 200m freestyle semifinal
- Day 5 – 200m freestyle final
- Day 6 – 200m IM semifinal
- Day 7 – 200m IM final
- Day 8 – 200m butterfly semifinal
- Day 9 – 200m butterfly final
Women’s 100m sprinters lead off Games
It will be a busy opening day of action at the 2028 Summer Games for the fastest women in the world.
As part of the seismic schedule change, track and field, not swimming, will lead off the Olympics. Organizers revealed that the first day at the LA Coliseum, July 15, will include all three rounds of the women’s 100 metres.
Sprinters normally run a maximum of two races in a day at a major event. It’s a change the men will not have to deal with, but that a women’s field that could include the last two world champions, Sha’Carri Richardson and Melissa Jefferson-Wooden, and Olympic champ Julien Alfred are being given nearly three years to prepare for.
Swimming has traditionally kicked off the Summer Games, but because the opening ceremony is taking place at SoFi Stadium, same as the swim meet, organizers decided to make the swap. It was not feasible to set up the pool in the stadium so quickly after the ceremony.
Source link
