(Paris) Summer McIntosh and Ethan Katzberg had already left the Paris Olympics when they were asked to become Canada’s flag bearers for the closing ceremonies.
She was leaving for her cottage in Muskoka and he was leaving for a hammer-throwing training camp in Slovakia.
But on Sunday, the two Canadian athletes boarded a plane and returned to Paris with five medals in hand, including four gold.
McIntosh, who won four medals in the pool, became Canada’s first triple gold medalist. She said being named flag bearer was something she would “appreciate and hold close to my heart forever.”
PHOTO OLIVIER JEAN, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Summer McIntosh
“I think it’s going to take a few months for it all to sink in and for us to appreciate everything that’s happened,” McIntosh said. “But I think the main thing that’s going to take the longest to absorb is being the flag bearer because it’s such an honour and it happens once in a lifetime.”
The 17-year-old from Toronto said she was still processing the last few weeks, during which she set Olympic records in the women’s 200-metre butterfly (2:03.03) and the women’s 200-metre individual medley (2:06.56).
“It’s been a whirlwind, but I’m so grateful for everything that’s happened,” McIntosh said.
Katzberg, of Nanaimo, B.C., won Canada’s first gold medal in the hammer throw in dominant fashion. He triumphed by 4.15 metres, the largest margin of victory in the men’s hammer throw since the 1920 Antwerp Games.
PHOTO OLIVIER JEAN, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Ethan Katzberg
The 22-year-old reigning world champion, and now Olympic champion, said he first fell in love with the Olympics when Vancouver hosted them in 2010. Watching them as a child made him understand “what sport could be.”
On Sunday, he represented his country, thanking those who watched the competitions on television.
“Canada really came together at these Olympic Games and cheered on our athletes really hard. It’s incredible to see the support for our Canadians,” he said. “I’m really excited to be able to close out these Games.”
Eric Myles, sport director of the Canadian Olympic Committee, explained that the two athletes “truly represent the values of our Olympians and the competitive spirit that reigns within Team Canada 2024.”
“Summer’s performance was a tour de force; three gold medals in one Games is an incredible feat,” he said. “For Ethan, another colossal achievement, Canada’s first gold medal in the hammer throw and the first medal for the sport in 112 years.”
Canada entered the final day of competition with 27 medals, including nine gold, both national records for a non-boycotted Summer Games. McIntosh and Katzberg accounted for five of its 27 medals, including four gold.
McIntosh said that from the start of the Games, Canadians have tried to build on the momentum from a strong Tokyo Games in 2021, where Canada won 24 medals.
“To see all these other amazing Canadian athletes accomplish and achieve their dreams is pretty incredible,” she said. “I think feeding off of each other’s energy is really what kept us going throughout these Games.”
Sprinter André De Grasse and weightlifter Maude Charron were Canada’s flag bearers at the opening ceremonies on July 26.