Summer McIntosh bails on Olympics showdown vs Titmus and Ledecky

A Canadian teenage swimming sensation has pulled the pin on a hotly anticipated showdown against an Australian star in Paris.

McIntosh bails on 800m Olympic showdown

One of the most hotly anticipated showdowns for the Paris Olympics sadly won’t be going ahead.

Fans had pencilled in a blockbuster contest in the pool between Canadian teen sensation Summer McIntosh and 23-year-old Australian swim star Ariarne Titmus.

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Sadly the 800m freestyle showdown between the two powerhouses has been put on ice with the 17-year-old bailing on the event.

Despite being the top ranked swimmer in the world over the distance, McIntosh scrubbed it from the list due to her Olympics schedule being packed.

Her withdrawal from the event is a huge bonus for Titmus’ medal hopes where she’ll look to reverse the result from the Tokyo Olympics when she fell to American megastar Katie Ledecky.

The 27-year-old American has the chance to emulate the absurd feat of winning gold in the same event four times. If Ledecky emerges victorious she'll join Michael Phelps on the list of swimmers to achieve the feat.

Titmus won’t have to worry about McIntosh in the 800m freestyle. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

Ledecky will be breathing a sigh of relief after news of McIntosh’s withdrawal from the event was announced.

The 17-year-old stunned the world when she became the only woman to defeat Ledecky over the distance in more than a decade when she toppled her in February.

While not the biggest pressure cooker event at the 2024 Southern Zone South Sectional Championships, McIntosh became the second fastest female 800m swimmer of all-time, knocking nearly nine seconds off her personal best to break Titmus’ Commonwealth and Brittany MacLean’s Canadian records.

Her time of 8:11.39 would have won the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics.

McIntosh is set to take the Olympics by storm. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

The teen sensation is set to have a blockbuster schedule for the upcoming Olympic Games with the Canadian trials taking place next week.

McIntosh is entering a stunning seven races during the trials, although she won’t race in all of them during the Olympics as some events have been entered just to secure a spot in relay teams.

She’s set to compete in the 100m freestyle, 200m freestyle, 400m freestyle, 100m backstroke, 200m butterfly, 200m and 400m individual medleys.

Despite her withdrawal from the 800m event, the 400m freestyle race still looms as one of the biggest races at the Olympics with the teenager set to lock horns with Titmus and Ledecky.

Titmus is the reigning Olympic champion and current world record holder in what is regarded as her pet event.

“I see them both as big dangers,” Titmus replied when asked recently who posed the biggest threat to her crown.

“I know that the experience that Katie has is invaluable. I don’t think you can buy that.

“And I think Summer is going to be fearless and probably will remind me of myself when I was at my first Olympic Games.”