Caboolture-educated Kaylee McKeown cements her place in Olympic history as she becomes the first Australian swimmer to win four individual gold medals. At the Paris Olympics, McKeown successfully defended her 200m backstroke title, adding to her earlier victory in the 100m backstroke.
McKeown’s latest triumph elevates her above other Australian Olympic greats. With four individual golds, she surpasses the likes of Ian Thorpe, Dawn Fraser, and Betty Cuthbert, who each hold three. This feat places McKeown in a league of her own among Australian Olympians.
The 23-year-old Queenslander’s victory in the 200m backstroke comes in an Olympic record time of 2:03.73. McKeown’s win matches Hungarian legend Krisztina Egerszegi’s record of four Olympic backstroke gold medals, solidifying her status as one of the greatest backstrokers in history.
McKeown’s historic swim caps off a successful night for Australia in the pool. Veteran Cameron McEvoy, 30, claims gold in the men’s 50m freestyle with a time of 21.25, marking Australia’s first-ever medal in this event at the Olympics.
Despite her exhaustion, McKeown qualified for the 200m individual medley final just minutes after her golden performance. With potential medals in two medley relays and the individual medley event still to come, McKeown’s record-breaking run may not be over yet.
Keep your eyes peeled for two local sprinters—Burpengary’s Ella Connolly and Caboolture’s Calab Law—as the athletics portion of the Paris Olympics gets underway and they aim to stake their claim among the world’s fastest.
Ella Connolly in the women’s 100m and 4x100m relay
The 100m dash holds a special place in the world of athletics. As the shortest common outdoor running distance, it is perhaps the most popular and prestigious event in track and field. The winner of this event at the Olympics or World Championships often earns the unofficial title of “the fastest person in the world.”
The 5’9” trackstar faces a tight schedule in her quest for Olympic glory: Preliminary Round: 2 August, 6:35 p.m. Round 1: 2 August , 7:50 p.m. Semifinals: 3 August, 3:50 a.m. Finals: 3 August, 5:20 a.m.
This compressed timeline will test not only Connolly’s speed but also her endurance and recovery abilities. She enters the event facing stiff competition that includes the current women’s world champion, USA’s Sha’Carri Richardson.
Almost a week after her individual event, the 24-year-old will join her teammates for the 4x100m relay: Round 1: 8 August, 7:10 p.m. Finals: 10 August, 3:30 a.m.
Calab Law in the men’s 200m
The 200m dash is a challenging event that attracts world class runners from various disciplines, particularly those who compete in the 100m. It requires a combination of explosive speed and sustained power, making it a true test of an athlete’s capabilities.
This schedule allows for more recovery time between rounds compared to the 100m event, but demands peak performance over multiple days.
Law enters a field of fierce competitors that include the reigning Olympic champion Andre De Grasse from Canada and current World Champion Noah Lyles of the USA. At just 20 years old and standing 6’1”, Law brings youth and promising talent to the competition.
As the Paris Olympics sprinting events approach, Ella Connolly and Calab Law prepare to represent a country itching for athletics glory on the Olympic stage.
Featured Image Photo Credit: Ella Connolly, Calab Law/Instagram
Born in Redcliffe and educated in Caboolture, 23-year-old Kaylee McKeown defied the bookies by beating American Regan Smith and the rest of the 100m backstroke field in 57.33 seconds.
Kaylee turned in 4th with a 28.08 split but powered past Kylie Masse of Canada, and Regan Smith and Katherine Berkoff of the USA. Current world record holder Regan Smith was considered the favourite in the event.
Having won Olympic gold Number 4, Kaylee’s medal prospects continue to look promising, with the 200m backstroke (arguably her strongest event) coming up, and the 200m individual medley as well.
It has been an eventful series of competitions so far for elite swimmers competing in the Paris Olympics pool, which athletes have pointed out to be shallower than what they’re used to in training and other competitions, a detail they believe to be causing slower swim times overall.
At 2.15m, the Paris pool is above the minimum standard of 2m approved for the Paris Olympics but is now below the new World Aquatics recommended minimum of 2.5m. Experts believe deeper pools maximise performance and result in faster times by minimising the turbulence caused by water displaced by swimmers bouncing off the bottom of the pool.
Road to Greatness
The talented swimmer’s world-class performance has been honed from a junior at Australian Crawl in Burpengary under coach Jodie Morgan. Chris Mooney also worked with her for many years until she joined the Griffith University Swim Club under Michael Bohl.
It was her sister, Taylor, however, that inspired her to greatness.
Taylor began competitive swimming at the age of nine and by 15 years old, she had won the national 100m and 200m breaststroke titles. Two years later, she won gold in the 2014 Commonwealth Games 200m breaststroke final, beating fellow Aussie Sally Hunter in Glasgow.
In 2015, Taylor helped the 4x100m medley relay team to win a World Championship bronze. By 2016, they went one better in the Rio Olympics where Taylor and the team finished second in the 4x100m medley relay.
2016 was a big year for the McKeown sisters. While Taylor performed and won a silver in the biggest stage of all, Kaylee was in Hawaii at the Pan Pacific Junior Championships, her first major international competition representing Australia. She won the 200m backstroke; finished 3rd in the 100m; and 17th in the 200m medley.
Within a year, Kaylee made the jump to senior competition and helped secure a silver medal in the World Championships in Budapest for the 4x100m mixed medley relay. She also finished 4th in the 200m backstroke, as well as 16th in the 400m medley.
Her coach, Chris Mooney, had a long term plan for Kaylee. Rather than push her too hard during her final year at St Paul’s Lutheran in Caboolture, he gave her room to complete her studies by setting a weekly routine of five training schedules rather than the standard ten.
This meant 2018 saw limited improvement for a while. Even by 2019 Kaylee’s performances were similar to 2017, though silver in the 2019 World Championship 200m backstroke was a major breakthrough.
In August 2020, Kaylee’s dad, Sholto, died after fighting brain cancer for two years. “I’ll always be with you” was tattooed on her foot as a permanent reminder of her dad. It became her biggest motivator.
The delayed Tokyo Olympics did not suit most athletes but for Kaylee, it seemed to have been an extra year of training and growth.
She absolutely nailed Tokyo, winning the 100m backstroke in a new Olympic record, becoming the first Australian female gold medalist in backstroke. She then won the 200m backstroke and then completed her hat-trick of gold medals by swimming the backstroke leg of the 4x100m medley relay.
Three Olympic medals at the age of 20; now four at the age of 23. Could that become five or six in 2024?
Known for her dedication and resilience, Ms McKeown’s story is now inspiring the next generation as she travels through schools in South-East Queensland with the Australian Olympic Committee’s Olympics Unleashed program.
Last week, Ms McKeown visited the Southern Cross Catholic College in Woody Point, where she shared her journey filled with dreams, determination, and the highs and lows of competing at the world’s most prestigious sporting events.
Photo credit: Southern Cross Catholic College – Official/Facebook
Her narrative includes the heart-wrenching moment she missed qualifying for the 2012 London Olympics by just 0.01 seconds and the subsequent triumphs that followed: winning Commonwealth gold and Pan Pacific bronze in the 200m breaststroke.
Ms McKeown’s perseverance shone brightly at the Rio 2016 Olympics, where she entered the 200m breaststroke final as the fastest qualifier. Despite finishing fifth, she bounced back to win silver in the 4x100m medley relay alongside Emily Seebohm, Emma McKeon, and Cate Campbell.
Now 29, Ms McKeown is focused on inspiring young minds through Olympics Unleashed, a free educational program that brings Olympians and aspiring athletes into schools to share their personal stories.
Photo credit: Southern Cross Catholic College – Official/Facebook
Ms McKeown, who attended St Paul’s Lutheran Primary School and Grace Lutheran College in Caboolture, said that for her, “it’s about resilience, overcoming obstacles, and continuing to push through, doing your best and enjoying the journey.”
Reflecting on her 10-year international career, which ended in 2022, she admits she misses the camaraderie and competition, though not the stress of racing. Her fond memories include meeting tennis legend Rafael Nadal and sitting with Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all time, on a bus back to the athlete’s village in Rio.
Photo credit: Southern Cross Catholic College – Official/Facebook
As the countdown to the Paris 2024 Olympics intensifies, she remains a passionate advocate for dreaming big and setting goals. She sees a bright future for the Australian swim team, with her younger sister Kaylee, poised to be a key figure.
Ms McKeown’s return to Moreton Bay and her ongoing work with Olympics Unleashed underline her commitment to giving back to the community that launched her into the international spotlight.
Her message to students is clear: “Dream big and have things you can tick off along the way to achieving those goals.”
By sharing her journey and the lessons learned along the way, Taylor McKeown continues to inspire and motivate, proving that with resilience and determination, the dreams nurtured in places like Moreton Bay can lead to the world stage.
Featured image credit: Southern Cross Catholic College – Official/Facebook
