Like many of the 338 Canadian Olympians heading to Paris, Summer McIntosh has been preparing for this moment for as long as she can remember.
When the 17-year-old swimming phenom takes her mark at Paris La Défence Arena one week from now, she will not only shoulder an outsized portion of Canada’s 2024 Olympic medal hopes, but she will no doubt face pressure like she’s never felt before.
“That kind of comes along with the job,” she said. “I’m kind of used to it at this point.”
After debuting in Tokyo at age 14 and narrowly missing the podium, Ms. McIntosh could take a run at the record for most medals won at a single Olympics by a Canadian, set by speed skater Cindy Klassen in 2006, with five.
After setting the World Record in the women's 400-metre individual medley at the Canadian Olympic swim trials, 17-year-old Summer McIntosh heads to Paris with high hopes for a place on the podium.Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press
But even though she is a generational talent, Ms. McIntosh is far from alone as a Canadian athlete heading to Paris with clear and distinct podium goals.
Team Canada is bringing a revamped attitude into Paris, and athletes such as her embody a new generation of Olympic ambition and confidence. Canada has been on the upswing in the warm sports for a while now, but has managed something novel in recent years – actual depth.
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The first signs emerged in Rio in 2016, where Canada won an unexpected 22 medals, including four gold, then bettered that number in Tokyo in 2021, when it took home 24 medals, including seven gold.
This new depth will be on display in some of the highest-profile events – in the pool, at the track, on the basketball court, and the soccer pitch. But it extends further to judo, sprint canoe and elsewhere, with athletes expecting, rather than hoping, to make the podium.
Six-time Canadian Olympic sprinting medalist Andre De Grasse will be vying for the podium in Paris.Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press
“It’s always been the same goal, same objective, even when I went to Rio as a young kid,” said six-time Olympic sprinting medalist Andre De Grasse. “I was like, ‘I know I can get on this podium, I know I can do great things, and I’ve just got to go out there and prove it.’ So that’s still the goal. It has never changed.”
Of course, a lot can go wrong on sport’s biggest international stage – pressure has a way of turning prognostications on their head. And even though Canadian officials, from the Canadian Olympic Committee to individual sports such as swimming and athletics, blanch when asked about medal predictions, some athletes and coaches are less timid about stating their intentions.
“This is the beginning for us. We believe we are ready, and we will be taking on all comers,” said Rowan Barrett, general manager of a men’s basketball squad laden with NBA talent and looking to take a run at the podium, even if it means going up against this year’s version of the U.S. Dream Team.
“I think our goal needs to be very clear for this summer: We are working towards climbing up to the top of that podium. We’re going to this competition in Paris to win.”
Not since hockey debuted as a Summer Olympic sport – which is how it began in 1920, oddly enough – has Canada, arguably, felt so optimistic about its medal chances in July and August.
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In shot put, Sarah Mitton, the 2024 world indoor champion, will contend for the podium. Hammer throwers Camryn Rogers and Ethan Katzberg, both world champions, will too. On the track, Marco Arop is the reigning world champion in the men’s 800 metres, and Damian Warner is the defending champion in decathlon after setting an Olympic record three years ago.
Kelsey Mitchell returns to defend her gold medal in track cycling. Christa Deguchi is a two-time world champion in judo. And Katie Vincent could contend for a pair of medals in sprint canoe.
With seven Olympic medals to her name, Penny Oleksiak, Canada’s most-decorated Olympian, could add to her total in Paris.FRANCOIS-XAVIER MARIT/Getty Images
Canada's Maggie Mac Neil, the reigning Olympic champion in the 100-metre butterfly, will take to the pool to defend her title in Paris.Silvia Izquierdo/The Associated Press
Canada’s quest for multiple medals at the pool includes Maggie Mac Neil, the reigning Olympic champion in the 100-metre butterfly, Kylie Masse, a four-time backstroke medalist, and Josh Liendo, a contender in several sprint events. Penny Oleksiak, Canada’s most-decorated Olympian with seven medals, could boost that historic total if she reaches the podium in the team relays.
“I think we for some time have thought of Canada – and the world thinks of Canada – as a Winter Games team. And we’re opening eyes the world over because we’re as strong in the summer as we are in the winter,” said Canadian Olympic Committee CEO David Shoemaker. “And I think it’s a mindset.”
Mr. Shoemaker draws a direct line from Canada’s current depth to the 2016 Olympics. The emergence of young athletes such as Ms. Oleksiak, then 16, and Mr. De Grasse, then 21, begat a new line of contenders eight years later, such as Ms. McIntosh in swimming and emerging sprinting star Christopher Morales-Williams, an NCAA champion in the men’s 400 metres who will be making his Olympic debut.
Canadian Olympic Committee CEO David ShoemakerFrank Gunn/The Canadian Press
“You see success as a youngster and you realize that you’re capable of being successful. And you see success in sports that you didn’t realize you could be capable of. And these role models spawn generations of other people with incredible athletic talent,” Mr. Shoemaker said.
John Atkinson, Swimming Canada’s high-performance director, takes that genesis back a bit further to Canada holding the 2015 Pan Am Games.
That event left a legacy of infrastructure such as the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre, where Ms. McIntosh and others have gone on to set world records, Mr. Atkinson said. It also became the catalyst for a new culture of winning.
“I think one of the big things that happened to Olympic sport in Canada was the Pan Am Games in Toronto,” Mr. Atkinson said this week. “I can remember going into those Games and the team did really well and beat the U.S. in some relays, and it really gave the team, at that point, the belief that they can win. “And what they have achieved since then is remarkable.”
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With much of the glare of expectations focused on the swim team, Mr. Atkinson balked at putting a figure on how many medals will equal success. However the six won in both Rio and Tokyo are probably a starting point.
“The depth of the team is probably stronger and deeper than we have had at previous Games,” Mr. Atkinson said. “And of course, the task is to convert those opportunities into medals.”
Fay De Fazio Ebert, 14, will be the youngest member of Team Canada competing in the Paris Olympics.Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
Canada's Mo Zhang will compete in her fifth Summer Games in Paris.THOMAS PETER/Reuters
The youngest member of Team Canada in Paris will be 14-year-old skateboarder Fay De Fazio Ebert. Jill Irving, competing in equestrian, is the oldest at 61. Mo Zhang, in table tennis, is the longest-standing Olympian, competing in her fifth Summer Games.
Behind the medal aspirations, there are always concerns about problems and disruptions, and Paris brings several potential issues for athletes and organizers to contend with. Worries over the water quality of the Seine, where the open-water swimming and triathlon events will be contested, could force those to be delayed or moved.
Water experts in France have said in recent days that elevated bacteria counts in the river, which were inflated by runoff from early summer rains, have since fallen, helped by increased water treatment efforts. On Wednesday, Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo donned a wetsuit and goggles and swam in the Seine to allay those fears. Officials said water quality will be monitored daily throughout the Games.
Meanwhile, fears of a heatwave have led Canadian organizers to procure portable air conditioners for the rooms in the athletes’ village.
Mr. Shoemaker said one of the bigger logistical hurdles is simply getting the team to Paris healthy. Though these Olympics aren’t being held under the strict pandemic protocols of Tokyo in 2021 and Beijing in 2022, COVID-19 and other illnesses could ruin a peak performance.
“Making sure that everybody gets to Paris healthy and happy, that is sort of Job 1 for me,” Mr. Shoemaker said. “That’s proven to be a very important contributor to performance.”
The stage is set to welcome athletes at the Eiffel Tower Stadium in Paris. After two Olympic Games held in mostly empty venues because of COVID restrictions, athletes and spectators alike welcome a return to normalcy at this year's games.DIMITAR DILKOFF/Getty Images
With fans in attendance after two Olympics held in mostly empty venues, these Games will have the feel of a return to normalcy. For the athletes, that means a welcome return to crowd noise and having friends and family in attendance.
Ms. Mac Neil won her swimming gold medal three years ago with her family watching at home in London, Ont. She’s hoping for a do-over in Paris.
“In Tokyo, we didn’t get to have those moments, and I think that was really hard,” Ms. Mac Neil said. “My family, my parents and my sister, I think if that were to happen this year, it would just be more special because they’re going to be there.”