On Wednesday, Canadian rising star Summer McIntosh delivered a performance as solid as it was beautiful in the 200m butterfly preliminaries, moving a step closer to her goal of adding a third medal to her collection at the Paris Games. With a time of 2:07.70, the North American newcomer comfortably qualified for the semifinals, placing sixth. 

China’s Zhang Yufei led the heats with an impressive time of 2:06.55, as McIntosh prepares for the final showdown against formidable competition.

The Canadian world champion in the 400m individual medley and runner-up in the 400m freestyle is now aiming for her coveted triple crown. Besides Zhang, American Regan Smith, a silver medalist in Tokyo, also poses a significant threat with the second-best time of the preliminaries.

In women’s breaststroke, South African Tatjana Smith is pursuing a historic double after her gold in the 200m in Tokyo and recent win in the 100m. "I think the 100m took off a lot of pressure in terms of high expectations, so now I can really enjoy swimming," Smith said recently, though she has not yet confirmed whether she might retire after Paris at just 27.

Smith, who clocked a time of 2:21.57, is the top favorite for victory, especially with the absence of the current world record holder Evgeniia Chikunova. Meanwhile, Kate Douglass and Lilly King also stand out among the competitors, securing top spots and joining the fight for medals.

The men’s 200m backstroke promises to be an open contest in the absence of Russian champion Evgeny Rylov. Swiss swimmer Roman Mityukov led the heats, followed by Lukas Maertens and other notable competitors such as Ryan Murphy and Hubert Kos.

Also under the radar is Italian Thomas Ceccon, the 100m backstroke winner, who also advanced and is looking to continue dreaming of a final outcome as uncertain as it is thrilling.

The evening will conclude with an exciting final session featuring French hero Leon Marchand, host at La Defense Arena, who will compete in the finals of both the 200m butterfly and 200m breaststroke. Marchand, unafraid of success, aims to add more gold medals to his tally.

Meanwhile, American star Katie Ledecky will defend her 1,500m freestyle title. With an impressive history of world records, Ledecky is aiming to secure her eighth Olympic gold and twelfth total medal. Quite a feat.

To cap off the evening, the champions of the 100m freestyle, both men’s and women’s, will be decided. Young Australian Mollie O'Callaghan and Romanian David Popovici, recent 200m winners, will be competing fiercely to repeat their success. The afternoon promises to be one of the most exciting in the swimming calendar.