By James Sutherland on SwimSwam
Three-time Olympic champion Summer McIntosh has announced that she will be joining Bob Bowman and his pro group at the University of Texas following this summer’s World Championships.
McIntosh confirms what she had alluded to in late February, having revealed her plans to move on from the Sarasota Sharks and coach Brent Arckey at the end of the 2024-25 season, specifically mentioning the Texas pro group as a leading option for her next training base.
McIntosh spoke with CBC Sports’ Brittany Maclean in an interview on pool deck at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre where she spoke on her move to join Bowman, who has been on an incredible run over the last 14 months, winning the 2024 men’s NCAA title with Arizona State, leading Frenchman Leon Marchand to four gold medals at the Paris Olympics, and then winning a second straight men’s NCAA title with Texas.
“I think there’s a lot of excitement and I think it was something that most people could have guessed even when I started off just because I do similar events to what Bob coaches,” McIntosh told Maclean. “Some might say it was basically inevitable, but I think now that it’s actually happening, hopefully people will be excited.
“Bob has been absolutely incredible throughout the whole process, and I knew that at some point I was going to make the move, so him making it so easy and being so welcoming, I’m really excited for next season.”
The 18-year-old confirmed she will be training with the pro group, which includes the likes of Marchand, Regan Smith and Simone Manuel, and not the college team.
McIntosh also spoke on the appeal that comes with aligning with the coach who guided Michael Phelps to a record 23 Olympic gold medals (in very similar events to McIntosh).
“Michael Phelps is the greatest of all time, and he was absolutely incredible, and Bob not only created Michael but so many other amazing swimmers as well, so it just shows the consistency of his coaching and his craft, and it gives me a lot of confidence,” McIntosh said. “I know I can trust him wholeheartedly with my training.
“I have really big goals and I know that he can match that with the work that he gives me and all of his things that he knows. I can go into a program having full confidence in the training I do day to day and be alongside so many amazing and like-minded athletes and swimmers.”
McIntosh will head to Austin at the end of August, after the 2025 World Championships in Singapore, which will wrap up on August 3.
Back in Toronto to prepare for the upcoming Canadian Swimming Trials in Victoria, McIntosh has spent a good chunk of this year training in France with coach Fred Vergnoux in Antibes.
“Fred’s absolutely amazing,” McIntosh said. “He’s so funny and he’s such a smart guy as well. I can really trust him with my training and the culture he’s created at Antibes and the whole group is so like-minded.
“Everyone knows when they get in the water that he’s going to expect your best and we bring that every single day and I think we kind of feed off each other’s energy.”
McIntosh has entered seven events for the Canadian Trials, but said she only plans on racing five at Worlds. The 400 free, 200 fly, 200 IM and 400 IM are locked in, while her remaining entries come in the 200 free, 800 free and 200 back.
Shes said she’s added more aerobic distance training to her program of late with the 800 free potentially on her program.
“You need to have a very strong aerobic base to get you through day eight, day nine, and things like that,” she said. “I’m definitely implementing more distance into my training and the French program’s also like that, so definitely do more mileage and stuff like that.”
The Canadian Trials will run from June 7-12 in Victoria, British Columbia.
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