McIntosh's opening-night showdown begins Canada's swim program at World Aquatics Championships
World record-holder takes on international rivals Ledecky and Titmus in 400m freestyle
Under a brilliant blue sky, with temperatures soaring into the upper 30s Celsius, Canadian swimmers continued their preparations for the World Aquatics Championships at the Chukyo University outdoor swimming complex in Toyota, Japan.
Brent Arckey was walking briskly back and forth under a tented off area near the edge of the pool, waving his arm in the peripheral vision of Canada teen star Summer McIntosh as she powered her way through an arduous two-hour training session. Arckey coaches McIntosh in Florida and is accompanying Team Canada to these worlds.
The intensity of these last practices before the big show has hit a whole new level. There is a sense of urgency to be sure as the 28-person Canadian team begins competition July 23. Last year's championships in Budapest saw Canadian swimmers win 11 medals, the country's most ever, and break five Canadian records.
"Now it's about landing the plane," Arckey told CBC Sports. "All the work has been done and now it's time to deliver."
It's a fitting metaphor from McIntosh's coach. The 16-year-old Canadian swimming sensation has been on a transcendent orbit this past year and is now considered one of the stars of the sport. Many call her a generational talent.
There are lofty expectations for McIntosh in Japan, especially because she's coming off two world records and five world junior records just a few months ago during the national trials in Toronto.
McIntosh will swim in four individual events, including an opening-night showdown in the most anticipated race of the year. The Canadian is pitted against American great Katie Ledecky and Australian powerhouse Ariarne Titmus in the 400m freestyle.
The Toronto teen still has a hard time wrapping her head around being mentioned in the same sentence as the two aforementioned swimming stars.
"It's an honour. If you were to tell me this like two, three years ago, I would have not believed you whatsoever," McIntosh said. "I've looked up to them so long and now that they've become kind of peers of mine is really incredible and it's quite inspiring and very motivating for me to kind of just see what I can put down.
"And I'm just really excited and just going to race my heart and see what happens and just try to have fun with it."
WATCH | Live the moment poolside, when McIntosh broke the 400m freestyle world record:
For McIntosh, it's a return to the place she made her first senior international appearance at the Tokyo Olympics two summers ago when she was just 14.
"Coming back here, I was a little bit reminiscent because it does feel like I was just here, although it was around two years ago," she said. "So much has changed. I've grown so much as a person in and outside of the pool. So that's something that I'm really proud of. But also I just think it's kind of cool just to see how far I've come since then and how much more I can continue to grow."
Asked if she's feeling any pressure, McIntosh doesn't flinch.
"The only pressure I feel is the pressure that I put on myself on a daily basis to train as hard as I can because on race day that's really what you're going to remember, is all those days and hours and the months and years that you put in for that one moment," she said.
WATCH | Swimming trials offered glimpse into 'golden generation of swimming in Canada':
McIntosh anchors a competitive team of Canadian swimmers who are brimming with confidence. During these training sessions there's a calm, business-like atmosphere — the swimmers are focused and know they have a job to do. Everything has intention.
Josh Liendo says he's as strong as he's ever been and has an undeniable swagger right now. Liendo will swim in the 50m and 100m freestyle as well as the 50m and 100m butterfly.
He's ranked No. 1 in the world going into the 100m fly event having posted the fastest time this season.
"I'm not going to get in any better shape. I've done the work and am pretty confident right now," he said. "It's just fine-tuning the details, making sure the body's good, you know, rest, hydrate, just making sure everything falls into place."
Last year at worlds Liendo won two bronze medals. Now he wants to take a step or two higher in Japan.
"Obviously I want to upgrade those medals, I want to keep improving, keep getting better and top of the podium as is always the goal," Liendo said. "I'm just excited and I'm confident in what I can do."
Olympic 100m fly champion Maggie Mac Neil sat out her individual events at the last worlds to give herself some space for mental health. But she's back and returning to her individual events this time around.
"I think a lot of people are at different stages in their preparation, but I'm excited to see what I can do. I've been training the best I've ever trained, so I'm really excited about it," Mac Neil said. "I think it's just trying to find the little improvements. It's not so much about what I can do as a whole. I think it's just, like if I improve my underwater, the spot or a stroke count or even just my attitude kind of going into practice every single day, that I'll definitely reap the benefits of it later on."
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