The world’s best backstroker Kaylee McKeown is on a mission to etch her name deeper into the Olympic history books. Editor at Large Louise Evans was poolside to witness the first Paris chapter.
Two backstroke giants, two world records set and broken within a week, one gold medal – it was always going to be dramatic.
Kaylee McKeown, 23, took a giant leap towards meeting her unique date with destiny when she defended her Olympic title in the 100m backstroke and beat the US world record holder Regan Smith.
“I’m over the moon,” said McKeown who also collected her fourth career Olympic medal. “The US gave me a red hot push. Expectation is a privilege and I believe I have a special super power and that’s my (late) dad. I believe he was with me tonight. He’d be extremely proud and he is here in spirit.”
To remind her of her late father Sholto, who died of brian cancer before the Tokyo Olympics, she has a tattoo on her left foot which says: “I’ll always be with you.”
McKeown is attempting an historic double in Paris – winning the 100m and 200m backstroke in consecutive Olympics – Tokyo and Paris.
She celebrated part one of her crusade with a screaming Wonder Woman victory salute which was fitting because she joined Dawn Fraser and Ariarne Titmus as the only Australian female swimmers to win the same individual event at successive Olympics
“To have all this atmosphere and that adrenaline running and to be able to perform that – it’s really special to me,” she said after taking a selfie on the medal podium.
To launch her Paris assault McKeown had to beat Smith, 22, the 57.13s world record holder and Olympic bronze medallist. McKeown lost her world record to Smith, 22, who swam her record at the US trials in June, taking 0.28 seconds off McKeown’s world mark set a week earlier at the Australian trials.
But who cares about world records when Olympic gold medals are on the line and history is at stake?
McKeown is the ultimate racer. She got a great start in the Olympic final, swimming a formidable second 50m and a powerful final 25m to close out her US challengers.
“I knew it would come down to that last 25 metres and it’s something that I’ve been practising for and something that the Americans and myself are really good at – finishing our races strong.”
With her Wonder Woman finish McKeown set an Olympic record of 57.33s to win gold with Smith second in 57.66s and the other US challenger Katharine Berkoff third in 57.98.
McKeown’s first Paris gold medal was also the fourth won in the pool by Australia following the three other victories by Ariarne Titmus in the 400m freestyle, and Mollie O’Callaghan in both the 200m freestyle and the women’s 4x100m relay.
“It’s been an awesome few days watching all the Aussies get up so I just had to put my best foot forward tonight,” she said.
McKeown already has three gold medals from the Tokyo Olympics in the 100m and 200m backstroke and the 4x100m medley relay. In Paris, she is adding a third individual swim to her program with the 200m individual medley, plus she has the relays.
Just listing her Paris program is exhausting: 200m backstroke on Friday August 2, 200m individual medley and 4x100m mixed medley relay on Saturday August 3, 4x100m women’s medley relay Sunday August 4.
There was another piece of history in the men’s 4x200m freestyle when the exact same Australian line up who won bronze in Tokyo backed-up to again win the bronze medal in Paris. The gold was won by Great Britain, USA silver ahead of the now familiar Australian team of Max Giuliani, Flynn Southam, Elijah Winnington and Tommy Neill.
Earlier in the evening Kyle Charlmers put himself in the best position for another podium finish in the 100m Freestyle by qualifying second fastest in 47.58s behind China for the final on Wednesday.
Chalmers, 25, is the world No10, an Olympic silver medallist and the 2023 world silver medallist. He has never finished worse than second at a major and he’s a tremendous competitor who always delivers and reacts well to a challenge.
Chalmers described his semi as “a lot of fun” but cautioned “getting to the podium will be a big challenge.” “To be in the Olympic final is very special. I will be trying to do the best for my country.”
In the women’s 100m freestyle Mollie O’Callaghan and Shayna Jack signalled more medals for Australia by qualifying in the top three for Wednesday’s final. Jack said she had more in store for the final but “can’t give all my secrets away”.
More secret Wonder Woman business perhaps.
Louise Evans is an award-winning journalist who has worked around Australia and the world as a reporter, foreign correspondent, editor and media executive for media platforms including The Sydney Morning Herald (eight years), The Australian (11 years) and Australian Associated Press (six years in London, Beijing and Sydney).
A women sports’ pioneer, Louise was the first female sports journalist employed by The Sydney Morning Herald and the first female sports editor at The Australian. Louise went on to work at six Olympic Games, six Commonwealth Games and numerous world sporting championships and grand slam tennis events.
Louise is the Founding Editor of AAP FactCheck, the Creator of #WISPAA – Women in Sport Photo Action Awards and national touring Exhibition and the author and producer of the Passage to Pusan book, documentary and exhibition.
In 2019 she was awarded the Order of Australia Medal (OAM) Queen’s Honour for services to the media and sport and named an Australian Financial Review Top 100 Woman of Influence for services to the arts, culture and sport.
In 2020 she won a NSW Volunteer of the Year Award plus the NSW Government Community Service Award for her women-in-sport advocacy work.
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