Summer McIntosh leads Olympic hopefuls into high-pressured Canadian swim trials

With the stakes higher than ever — berths to the Paris 2024 Games on the line — Swimming Canada has spared no details when it comes to setting the scene for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic swimming trials.

Swimmers competing at the trials will walk out of an entrance for the finals under a replica of the Eiffel Tower, a not-so-subtle reminder of what's up for grabs for the more than 850 Canadian athletes who are looking to earn a spot on Team Canada in Paris this summer. 

"I'm so excited. Walking in here and seeing the little Paris Eiffel Tower thing on top of the walkout stage is pretty surreal," Summer McIntosh told CBC Sports on Saturday morning. 

"There's a lot of anticipation going into all of this. I've been through this situation many times before. There's so much excitement as well. I'm trying to stay as calm as possible."

This is a very different setting inside the Pan Am Sports in Toronto compared to three years ago when the last trials took place – those trials were in the midst of a pandemic when no fans were allowed to attend and swimmers were wearing masks on the pool deck before their races. 

Starting Monday, and running through until Sunday, fans will pack the venue, cheering on Canadian swimmers as they look to qualify for the Games this summer. A number of the evening final sessions are already sold out. 

Preliminary heats are at 9:27 a.m. ET each day, with finals sessions set for 5:45 p.m. ET. All sessions are being streamed live on CBC Sports digital platforms, with a nightly highlight show on CBC TV. Live streams can be watched via the free CBC Gem streaming service, at cbcsports.ca and the CBC Sports app for iOS and Android devices. 

WATCH | Summer McIntosh excited to race in front of energetic fans:

McIntosh is preparing to qualify for her second Games. Three short years ago she earned a spot on the team for the Tokyo Olympics at 14 years old. Now she's favoured to win a number of medals at the Games and is considered a generational talent in the sport. 

"It's definitely different. Being able to have people in the stands this time is going to be so exciting. It'll be electric at night during the finals," McIntosh said. 

"Going into 2021 trials I was so young and learning so much. I grew so much during that time period."

McIntosh will be competing in seven different events throughout the trials. Her Sarasota Sharks coach Brent Arckey is in Toronto this week and will be on the pool deck throughout the trials. 

He says the pressure is starting to ramp up and the trials are making everything really come into focus ahead of the Olympics. 

"It's fun. It's stressful. But it's part of the game. The fun part comes with some stress and challenging yourself," Arckey said.