Summer McIntosh earns CP athlete of the year honour

Summer McIntosh has been awarded the Bobbie Rosenfeld Award as the 2020 Canadian Press Female Athletes of the Year.

“I’m very honoured to have it and it’s just really cool,” McIntosh said of the award.

The 17-year-old athlete became a double world champion for the second year in a row, defending her titles in the 200m butterfly and the 400m individual medley at the World Aquatics Championships held in Fukuoka, Japan.

READ: Summer McIntosh crowned world champion in the 400m medley for second consecutive year

The Toronto native also added two bronze medals to her collection in the 200m freestyle and the 4x100m medley relay.

The youngster also lowered a few world record marks in the past year, namely those in the 400m individual medley and the 400m freestyle. However, the latter is now held by Australia’s Ariarne Titmus.

READ: Summer McIntosh breaks second world record in five-day span at Canadian Swimming Trials

She concluded her year by ending Katie Ledecky’s almost invincibility on American soil in the 400m freestyle, surpassing her by more than two seconds at the U.S. Open in Greensboro, N.C.

“What I’m most proud of is just how much I’ve learned about myself and kind of how much I’ve gained from each experience,” McIntosh said. “Going into big meets like a world championship, I don’t really have exact expectations of myself especially when it comes to placement or medals, but I definitely tried to just reach my full potential in each one of my races and I think I did that for the most part.”

READ: Summer McIntosh makes its back-to-back world titles in 200m butterfly

After participating in her first Olympic Games at Tokyo 2020, McIntosh will be seeking her first medal next summer at Paris 2024.