17-year-old Summer McIntosh who broke Katie Ledecky's 13-year 800m winning streak has a family full of Olympians

Summer McIntosh is just 17 but has already achieved incredible accomplishments in her career. Despite not having medaled at the Olympic Games, the Canadian swimming prodigy remains in the spotlight for her notable performances at international events.

Recently, McIntosh broke the legendary Katie Ledecky’s 13-year unbeaten run in the 800m freestyle in a Sectional event in Orlando, becoming the first person to accomplish this since 2010.

At the Southern Zone South Sectional Championships meet in Florida, she clocked a national record time of 8:11.39s to finish ahead of the 21-time World Championships gold medalist Ledecky.

Summer McIntosh made her Olympic Games debut at Tokyo 2020 where she was the youngest member (14) of the Canadian contingent that represented the nation at the Summer Games. At the Games, she agonizingly fell short of a medal, finishing fourth in the 400m freestyle.

However, this may come as a surprise to many that the talented swimmer belongs to a family with a strong sports background. Her mother Jill Horstead and sister Brooke McIntosh both have connections to the Olympics, having represented the country at the Summer and Youth Olympics respectively.

The Olympic Games Instagram handle recently posted multiple pictures of McIntosh related to her sporting achievements and her family’s Olympic roots. The post read:

“From Olympian roots to carving new paths! ❤️”

McIntosh’s mother Jill competed in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics in the women’s 200m butterfly where she finished ninth overall, clocking 2:13.49s. Some of Jill’s top achievements are winning the bronze medals in the 1986 Commonwealth Games and 1985 Pan Pacific Championships.

Meanwhile, her sibling Brooke McIntosh represented Canada during the Winter Youth Olympics 2020. In Lausanne, she finished fourth in pair skating with her former training partner Brandon Toste.

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Summer McIntosh is a four-time World Championships gold medalist

Summer Mcintosh of Team Canada poses during the medal ceremony for the Women's 400m Individual Medley Final on day eight of the Fukuoka 2023 World Aquatics Championships at Marine Messe Fukuoka Hall A on July 30, 2023 in Fukuoka, Japan. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

Summer McIntosh bagged two gold medals in her debut World Aquatics Championships in 2022 in the 200m butterfly and 400m medley disciplines.

She went on to defend her both titles at the next World Championships in 2023 which made her the Canadian swimmer with the most world gold medals in the championships’ history.

However, to focus on the Paris Olympics 2024, she chose to skip the World Aquatics Championships 2024, currently taking place in Doha, Qatar.