At OVS, we pride ourselves on providing a flexible education for students around the world. By allowing students to schedule their education around their lives, they have more free time to pursue their dreams.
Summer McIntosh has been an OVS student since 2020. She has been steadily working through her high school courses while simultaneously dedicating her time and effort towards her training schedule.
At just 14 years old, Summer attended the 2020 Olympics as the youngest member of Team Canada. She finished an incredible 4th place in the Women’s 400m Freestyle. For such a young athlete to not only qualify for the Olympics, but also show up as such a strong competitor, is no small achievement.
Between 2022 and 2023 Summer continued to rise through the ranks, impressing the world with her athletic prowess. In total, she earned 6 gold medals, 4 silver medals, 4 Bronze medals and two World Records at various global competitions.
2024 Paris Olympics
Which brings us into 2024 and the summer Olympics!
This past summer, at the Paris Olympics, Summer McIntosh made her mark on the athletic world. Canada earned a total of 9 gold medals at the Olympic, 3 of which were won by Summer!
Summer earned Canada’s first medal, getting Silver in the 400m Freestyle. Shortly afterwards she won her first Olympic Gold Medal in the Women’s 400m Freestyle Medley with a time of 4:27:71, which was an incredible 5.69 seconds ahead of the silver medalist.
Summer took Gold yet again in the 200m Butterfly. She is the first Canadian to win gold in this event and did so with a time of 2:03.03, setting an Olympic record.
Finally, Summer swam for Gold in the 200m Individual Medley, making Canadian history by being the first athlete to win three gold medals during a single Olympic games.
World Aquatics Swimming Championships
In December 2024 Summer competed in the World Aquatics Swimming Championship (25m) in Budapest.
She set 3 world records, earning Gold in the 400m Freestyle with a time of 3:50.25, the 200m Butterfly with a time of 1:59:32, and the 400m Medley with a time of 4:15.48.
She also broke a Canadian National record in the 200m Backstroke with a time of 1:59.96, earning Silver in the event.
Given her stellar performances it’s no surprise that Summer was named the World Aquatics Female Athlete of the Year for 2024. She was also won the prestigious Northern Star Award in 2024 as Canada’s Female Athlete of the Year!
While Summer ended her 2024 year on a high note, she is showing no signs of slowing down. Just last week in the 2025 Southern Zone South Regional Championship, Summer competed in the 800m Freestyle competition, finishing with a time of 8:09.86. This time makes Summer only the second swimmer in history to go under a time of 8:10.
As a young athlete it takes a lot of training, dedication, time, and talent to achieve Olympic success, and when you’re still a high school student it can make it all the more challenging. Summer has been able to use OVS’s self-paced learning platform to get a high-quality education while still being able to achieve her athletic goals.
Summer is doing incredibly well in her studies, with a high academic achievement. She is currently completing her Grade 12 year with us. All of us at OVS couldn’t be more excited to watch Summer at the Olympics. We’re cheering her on and are incredible proud to be a small part in helping her on her Olympic journey!