Swimming

Summer McIntosh and Maggie MacNeil Win On Night 1 Of Canadian Trials, Qualify For Paris 2024

May 14, 2024

2024 CANADIAN OLYMPIC & PARALYMPIC TRIALS

May 13-19, 2024
Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre – Toronto, Ontario
LCM (50 meters)
Meet Central
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Swimming Canada Olympic Selection Criteria
Swimming Canada Paralympic Selection Criteria
Psych Sheets (Updated 05/10)
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The first night of competition at the 2024 Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Trials has wrapped up. Already, we’ve seen multiple swimmers sign their name to the oversized boarding pass on deck that denotes they’ve qualified to be nominated to Canada’s Olympic team. The full roster will be officially announced at the end of the meet.

Canadian Olympic Selection Priorities:

Note: For a full description of each priority category, click on the selection criteria link above. (Updated April 15, 2024)

Priority One: The first and second placed swimmers in the ‘A’ final who earn the Olympic Qualifying Time (OQT)
Priority Two – Relay Nominations: The relay time add-up of the top four-placed swimmers in the 100 and 200 freestyles. For the medley relays, the relay add-up will be reached with the times of the top qualifiers from the 100 back, 100 breast, 100 fly, and 100 free. If a swimmer wins multiple 100s, then the times of second-place swimmer in those events will be considered.
Priority Three: If no swimmer or only one swimmer at the 2024 Canadian Trials earns an OQT in an event, then a swimmer who’s achieved an OQT within the qualifying period and finished top two at Trials will be nominated.
Priority Four: In an event that does not have any nominations through Priorities 1-3, then an event winner who has achieved on Olympic Consideration Time and swims within 1% of their fastest time in the qualification window at Trials will be provisionally nominated.
Priority Five: The selection committee has the discretion to nominate eligible swimmers to improve relays at the advice of the High Performance Director

17-year-old Summer McIntosh became the first swimmer to earn a nomination status for Paris. McIntosh–the former 400 freestyle world record holder–won the event in a world-leading 3:59.06. Despite telling CBC she was ‘not happy’ with the time, it was more than enough to earn a nomination to her second Olympic team.

Later in the session, Maggie MacNeil and Mary-Sophie Harvey qualified for Paris in the 100 butterfly. MacNeil improved on her prelims time by three-hundredths, earning the win in 56.61 which ties her for eighth in the world this season. Not only did MacNeil qualify for her second Olympics, she also secured the chance to defend her Olympic gold medal.

Harvey finished second behind MacNeil, coming from behind to get the better of Rebecca Smith, who led at the halfway point. She swam a lifetime best 57.32, extending her season trend of posting personal bests. The swim was her first sub-58 outing and a .73 second drop from the 58.05 lifetime best she swam at April’s Canadian Open.

In her post-race interview, Harvey said in French that it was a “surprise” to qualify for the Games in this event. Like McIntosh and MacNeil, this will be her second Olympic appearance. In Tokyo, she swam in the heats of the 4×200 freestyle relay. Her nomination in the 100 fly marks her first time qualifying individually for the Games.

Smith was also under the Olympic Qualifying Time, finishing third in 57.89. Despite missing the Olympic team in the event, it’s the fastest she’s swum since 2019 Worlds.

On the men’s side, Finlay Knox put himself in position to be nominated to the men’s 4×100 medley relay. Though he missed the Olympic Qualifying and Consideration times in the 100 breast–which means he won’t swim the event individually–Knox did win the 100 breast. In keeping with the Priority 2 criteria, that means that he will likely be nominated to the medley relay at the end of the meet. Knox put together a lifetime best to collect the win. He swam 1:00.66, bettering the 1:00.91 PB he swam at the Canadian Open.