Spotlight on Australia: Emma McKeon
Emma McKeon of Australia competes during the women’s 100m butterfly final of the swimming competition at Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, July 26, 2021.
Credit: © Du Xiaoyi, Xinhua/Alamy Images
Australia is famous for its unique culture, metropolitan cities, and unusual wildlife, among other things. Each week, this seasonal feature will spotlight one of Australia’s many wonders.
Finishing her latest latest Olympic run with seven medals, Emma McKeon became the most decorated swimmer at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. The 2020 Summer Olympics were postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Australian swimmer went home with four gold medals (breaking three Olympic records and one world record) and three bronze. In the 400-meter medley relay, Australia set an Olympic record with 3 minutes and 51.6 seconds, and McKeon achieved her seventh medal in Tokyo, becoming the first female swimmer to win as many in one Olympic Games. Only the male swimmers Matt Biondi, Michael Phelps, and Mark Spitz have taken home seven or more medals in a single Games. Seven also tied gymnast Maria Gorokhovskaya for the record female Olympian medals in one Games. McKeon had previously won gold at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janiero, Brazil. Her wins make her the most decorated Australian Olympian ever.
McKeon was born May 24, 1994, in Wollongong, New South Wales. Her parents, Ron and Susie, were both competitive swimmers. Ron competed in the 1980 and 1984 Summer Olympics and Susie competed in the 1982 Commonwealth Games. Emma’s brother, David, swam for Australia in the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics. McKeon first competed internationally in 2010, winning silver and bronze medals at the 2010 Junior Pan Pacific Championship in Hawaii. That year, she also won gold as a part of the 400-meter medley relay at the Youth Olympics in Singapore. At the 2014 Commonwealth Games, McKeon won gold for the 200-meter freestyle, 400-meter freestyle relay, 400-meter medley relay, and 800-meter freestyle relay. At the 2016 Olympics, McKeon won gold for the Women’s 400-meter relay, placed silver in the 800-meter freestyle relay and 400-meter medley relay, and won bronze in the 200-meter freestyle.
Following the 2016 Olympics, McKeon spent time focusing on strength training in order to prepare for the 2020 Summer Olympics. In 2018, McKeon won eight gold medals, four at the Commonwealth Games and four at the Pan Pacific Championship in Tokyo. At the 2020 Summer Olympics, McKeon won gold in the 100-meter freestyle, 50-meter freestyle, 400-meter freestyle relay, and 400-meter medley relay. She won bronze in the 100-meter butterfly, 800-meter freestyle relay, and the 400-meter mixed medley relay. In addition to competitive swimming, McKeon and her brother host swimming clinics at McKeon’s Swim School in Unanderra, New South Wales.
