While Canada may be challenged to match its 24-medal haul from Tokyo at the Paris Olympics, the country does boast a potential star of the Games.
Swimming sensation Summer McIntosh, 17, has only gotten better — much better — since finishing fourth as a 14-year-old in the women’s 400-metre freestyle at the 2021 Games.
The Toronto native will swim in four individual events and as many as three relays — and expectations are high.
“Summer McIntosh is the single best overall swimmer in the world today. There really isn’t anybody better,” NBC swimming analyst Rowdy Gaines told his network recently. “A lot of people will know that name by the end of summer.”
McIntosh is the world-record holder in the 400-m. individual medley, and is also very capable of hitting the podium in the 200-m. IM, 200-m. butterfly and 400-m. freestyle.
Gaines compared McIntosh to two of the all-time American greats in an interview with CBC.
“You have your Michael Phelps. You have your Summer,” he said of McIntosh, who named one of her cats ‘Mikey’ as a tribute to Phelps.
“I think Summer hasn’t scratched the surface of what she’s capable of doing in Paris. I think her coaches know very well that she wasn’t going to have a problem qualifying at trials. They did with Summer what Katie (Ledecky) is kind of doing here.”
McIntosh will looking to make early waves in a big showdown on Day 1 of full competition, when she battles the legendary Ledecky and reigning world champ Ariarne Titmus of Australia in the 400-m. freestyle on July 27. McIntosh finished fourth in the event at last year’s worlds before rebounding to win four overall medals.
If McIntosh can come away with a similar or better haul in Paris, it will go a long way toward Canada staying at 20 medals or more for the third Games in a row.
Nielsen’s Gracenote, in its most recent projections, tabbed Canada for 20 medals. Canada’s 24-medal total in Tokyo was its highest ever, after taking home 22 four years earlier in Rio de Janeiro.
Canada has its highest hopes in two of the marquee individual sports of the Games — swimming and track and field.
Here’s a look at Canadians to keep an eye on in Paris:
Artistic swimming
Jacqueline Simoneau (Duet, team, Saint-Laurent, Que)
After retiring following the Tokyo Games, Simoneau made the decision to return in the run-up to Paris. Simoneau and Audrey Lamothe won a pair of duet silvers at a World Cup event in Markham, Ont. in June.
Basketball
Men’s team
Canada returns to Olympic men’s hoops competition for the first time since Steve Nash and Co. reached the quarterfinals in 2000. There’s plenty of excitement around this squad, led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but Canada is in a very tough group.
Women’s team
Following an early exit at the 2021 Olympics, Spanish coach Victor Lapena took the reins. Results have been mixed. Canada had its best-ever finish at the last World Cup, taking fourth, but then barely qualified for this year’s Olympics.
3×3 women’s team
Paige Crozon, Kacie Bosch, and twin sisters Michelle and Katherine Plouffe earned the last Paris spot at an Olympic qualifier in May with a win over host Hungary in the third-place game. Bosch and the Plouffes are the top three ranked players in the world, so this squad is a medal contender.
Beach volleyball
Brandie Wilkerson and Melissa Humana-Paredes (Toronto)
After splitting from their previous partners in 2022, the former York University indoor teammates have reached third in the world rankings.
Boxing
Tammara Thibeault (Women’s 75 kg, Saint-Georges, Que.)
Thibeault won gold at the 2022 world championship and was a quarterfinalist at the Tokyo Olympics. Canada hasn’t won an Olympic boxing medal since 1996.
Breaking
Philip Kim (Vancouver)
Kim won silver at last year’s world championship and gold in 2022. The dance sport, making its Olympic debut in Paris, is not on the Los Angeles Games program in 2028.
Canoe, sprint
Katie Vincent and Sloan MacKenzie (Women’s C-2, 500 metres, Mississauga, Ont. and Halifax)
Vincent teamed up with the retired Laurence Vincent Lapointe to win bronze at the Tokyo Olympics in a sport making its Games debut. Vincent and MacKenzie also won bronze at last year’s worlds.
Golf
Brooke Henderson (Smiths Falls, Ont.)
Canada’s best pro golfer of all time is seventh in the 2024 LPGA standings. After a strong start to the year, she’s had only one top-10 finish in her past eight events.
Corey Conners (Listowel, Ont.)
Conners has three top-10 finishes in his past five events, including a sixth-place showing at the Canadian Open.
Nick Taylor (Abbotsford, B.C.)
Taylor made history with his drought-breaking Canadian Open win in 2023. He also won the Phoenix Open this year. Both events are known for loud galleries.
Judo
Catherine Beauchemin-Pinard (Women’s 63 kg, Montreal)
Ranked second in the world in her weight class, Beauchemin-Pinard won bronze in Tokyo. She finished off the podium at this year’s worlds.
Christa Deguchi (Women’s 57 kg, Matsumoto, Japan)
The Japanese-born Deguchi started competing for her father’s birth country in 2017. Deguchi beat out fellow world medal contender Jessica Klimkait for Canada’s lone Olympic spot after finishing second at worlds this year. Deguchi, who fell short in 2021 as Klimkait took Canada’s Olympic spot and won bronze, is ranked first in the world.
Rowing
Women’s eights
Four rowers return from Tokyo’s gold medal-winning boat. Canada also won gold at its last World Cup event in Switzerland.
Soccer
Women’s team
The reigning Olympic champs are trying to reach the Games podium for the fourth time in a row. But the post-Christine-Sinclair-era Canadians won’t be considered one of the favourites this year after bowing out in the group stage of last year’s World Cup.
Swimming
Joshua Liendo (Men’s 100-m. butterfly, 100-m. freestyle, 50-m. freestyle, Toronto)
Liendo has three medals at his past two world championships, including silver in the 100-m. butterfly last year.
Maggie Mac Neil (Women’s 100-m. butterfly, London, Ont.)
Mac Neil won gold in this event at the Tokyo Olympics. She captured silver at last year’s worlds.
Kylie Masse (Women’s 100-m. backstroke, 200-m. backstroke, La Salle, Ont.)
The four-time Olympic medal winner finished just off the podium at last year’s worlds.
Summer McIntosh (Women’s 200-m butterfly, 200-m IM, 400-m IM, 400-m freestyle, Toronto)
See above.
Tennis
Gabriela Dabrowski and Leylah Fernandez (Women’s doubles, Ottawa and Laval, Que.)
Dabrowski teamed up with New Zealand’s Erin Routliffe to reach the Wimbledon doubles final this month. Routliffe was born in Canada, but represents New Zealand, so Dabrowski will join forces with Fernandez in France. Dabrowski is ranked third in the world in doubles.
Track and field
Marco Arop (Men’s 800 metres, Edmonton)
The reigning world champ finished a surprising sixth at a recent Diamond League meet in Monaco, but he remains one of Canada’s top gold contenders. Arop is looking for his first Olympic podium after being eliminated in the semifinals in Tokyo.
Andre De Grasse (Men’s 100 and 200 metres, Markham, Ont.)
A three-medal winner at each of the past two Olympics (counting relays), De Grasse won’t be a favourite this time around based on his times in 2024. But it would be unwise to count a big-game performer out.
Evan Dunfee (Men’s 20-km race walk, Richmond, B.C.)
Dunfee won bronze in the 50-km race walk in Tokyo, but that event is no longer on the program. He was fourth in the 20-km event at the world championships last year.
Ethan Katzberg (Men’s hammer throw, Nanaimo, B.C.)
The reigning world champ has won 13 consecutive events dating back to June 2023. The first-time Olympian posted the longest throw in the world since 2008 earlier this year.
Sarah Mitton (Women’s shot put, Brooklyn, N.S.)
Mitton set a Canadian record with a 2024-best-in-the-world throw of 20.68 metres in May. She won silver at worlds last year.
Camryn Rogers (Women’s hammer throw, Richmond, B.C.)
Canada became a hammer-throw nation with double gold at worlds last year, won by Rogers and Katzberg. Rogers finished fifth in Tokyo in her first Olympics.
Damian Warner (Decathlon, London, Ont.)
Warner’s looking to become the second back-to-back Olympic decathlon champion in a row after American Ashton Eaton. He’s coming in strong after winning the prestigious Hypomeeting Götzis in Austria for the eighth time in May.
Christopher Morales Williams (Men’s 400 metres, Vaughan, Ont.)
The 19-year-old just turned pro after setting an unofficial world indoor record earlier this year. He had the best outdoor time in the world in 2024 until earlier this month.
Weightlifting
Maude Charron (Women’s 59 kg, Rimouski, Que.)
Charron won Tokyo gold in the 64-kg class, but that’s no longer an Olympic discipline. Since moving down a weight class in the lead-up to Paris, she has set a Canadian record at 59 kg.
As the world eagerly anticipates the upcoming Paris Olympics, Canadian sports fans are buzzing with excitement over the potential athletes who could make a splash on the international stage. With a rich history of success in various sports, Canada is poised to showcase its talent once again at the summer games.
One athlete to keep an eye on is Andre De Grasse, a sprinter who burst onto the scene at the 2016 Rio Olympics with a bronze medal in the 100m and silver in the 200m. De Grasse has continued to impress on the track, winning multiple medals at World Championships and Commonwealth Games. With his speed and determination, he is a strong contender for gold in Paris.
Another Canadian athlete to watch is Penny Oleksiak, a swimmer who made history at the 2016 Rio Olympics by becoming the first Canadian to win four medals in a single summer games. Oleksiak’s talent in the pool is undeniable, and she has continued to dominate in international competitions. With her versatility and drive to succeed, she is a top contender for multiple medals in Paris.
In the world of gymnastics, Ellie Black is a name to remember. Black made history at the 2019 World Championships by becoming the first Canadian to win an all-around medal at the event. With her grace and skill on the apparatus, she is a strong contender for a podium finish in Paris.
On the basketball court, RJ Barrett is a rising star to watch. Barrett has already made a name for himself in the NBA as a member of the New York Knicks, and he is poised to lead Canada’s basketball team to success at the Olympics. With his scoring ability and leadership on the court, Barrett is a player to keep an eye on in Paris.
These are just a few of the potential Canadian athletes who could make a splash at the Paris Olympics. With their talent, determination, and drive to succeed, they have the potential to bring home medals and make their country proud on the international stage. As the games draw closer, Canadian sports fans will be eagerly watching to see how these athletes perform and cheering them on every step of the way.