SwimSwam Pulse: 56% Think Ledecky Would Still Best McIntosh In 800 Free Olympic Showdown

By James Sutherland on SwimSwam

SwimSwam Pulse is a recurring feature tracking and analyzing the results of our periodic A3 Performance Polls. You can cast your vote in our newest poll on the SwimSwam homepage, about halfway down the page on the right side.

Our most recent poll asked SwimSwam readers who they would pick to win the 800 free in Paris…if:

Question: If she raced it, would Summer McIntosh win 800 free gold over Katie Ledecky in Paris?

RESULTS

• No – 56.1%
• Yes – 43.9%

Summer McIntosh sent shockwaves around the globe last week when she handed Katie Ledecky her first loss in the 800 freestyle in more than 13 years.

Competing at the Southern Zone South Sectionals in Orlando, McIntosh pulled away from Ledecky on the back half of the race to finish in a time of 8:11.39, making her the second-fastest performer in history.

Ledecky, who still owns the 16 fastest times ever recorded, finished well back in 8:17.12.

McIntosh has proven she can do some unprecedented things. She broke the world record in the 400 free (3:56.08) and 400 IM (4:25.87) at the same meet last year, producing times in both events that she hadn’t come close to previously.

The ability to have a seismic drop in one event was once again the case in the 800 free, as she was nearly nine seconds faster than her previous best time of 8:20.19 last week.

McIntosh already has a busy event schedule with the 200 and 400 free, 200 fly, and 200 and 400 IM all potential options heading into her second Olympic appearance. But the question of where the 800 free could fit into the mix came to the forefront after what she did in Orlando.

If the 17-year-old opted to race the 800 free, it would mean forgoing the 200 IM, as the finals fall on the same night in Paris.

This led to our latest poll question: If McIntosh raced the 800, would she beat Ledecky?

Ledecky’s dominance in the event is well-documented, having won six straight world titles—though she’ll relinquish the title on Saturday in Doha—and three consecutive Olympic gold medals.

McIntosh hasn’t focused on the 800 free which makes it tricky to gauge how fast she could be if she did, especially with a full taper, but Ledecky still reigned supreme in the poll. The results were nearly 50/50 for a while, but Ledecky ultimately pulled away, garnering more than 56 percent of votes.

At the 2023 World Championships, for example, Ledecky won gold in 8:08.87, just two and a half seconds quicker than McIntosh was during a quiet timed finals session at a Sectionals meet in February. So there’s no doubt McIntosh is capable of it, resulting in her picking up 43.9 percent of votes.

If the Canadian had a similar event focus to Ledecky, keying in on the 200, 400 and 800 free for example, perhaps she would get more votes, but with her also training for the medley events and the 200 fly, perhaps she’s spread too thin to really take on Ledecky in the 800 free at this point in her career.

Will we see it? On the one hand, hopefully, but on the other, McIntosh racing Kate Douglass, Kaylee McKeown and Alex Walsh in the 200 IM would also be a barn-burner, so either option works for the fans.

Below, vote in our new A3 Performance Poll, which asks: Which female swimmer gained the most momentum in Doha?

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.

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SwimSwam: SwimSwam Pulse: 56% Think Ledecky Would Still Best McIntosh In 800 Free Olympic Showdown