Salute to Emma McKeon: Australia’s G.O.A.T. of Swimming

The G.O.A.T of Australian Swimming Emma McKeon officially announced her retirement from all levels of swimming this morning. McKeon, an eight-time world record holder – three current and five former in relays – hangs up her goggles boasting an unsurpassed haul of 14 Olympic medals and the title of Australia’s most decorated Olympian.

The Wollongong native, who was a NSWIS Scholarship athlete from 2008-15, isn’t one to celebrate personal medal tallies or the fact that before her 28th birthday, she had won more Olympic medals than any Australian Olympian in history, a growing group of 4300+ individuals dating back to 1896. But today, Swimming Australia emphatically celebrated and thanked the triple Olympian for her incredible years of service to the Dolphins and her contribution to Australia’s rich sporting history – in and out of the pool.

McKeon’s excellence, equally matched by her humility, is best explained as a prevailing attitude and was acknowledged as such in the 2024 Australia Day Honours where she was announced as Young Australian of the Year. And her standing amongst her peers was reflected in her election as one of eight athletes appointed to Swimming Australia’s Athletes’ Commission – to be announced imminently.

The 30-year-old is a member of Australian swimming aristocracy – her father Ron swam at the 1980 and 1984 Olympics and won four Commonwealth Games gold medals. Her uncle Rob Woodhouse, and now CEO of Swimming Australia, swam at the 1984 and 1988 Olympics, winning bronze in Los Angeles in 1984 meanwhile, her brother David (London 2012, Rio 2016) is a dual Olympian and her mother Susie (nee Woodhouse) was a Commonwealth Games swimmer at Brisbane 1982.

CEO of Swimming Australia, LA Olympic swimming medallist Rob Woodhouse said:

“Emma will be remembered in the same vein as Dawn, Shane, Susie and Murray, Kieren and Thorpey  – that she was one of our greatest.”

“From a personal point of view, watching her Tokyo campaign and in particular watching her win gold in the 100m freestyle was one of the greatest races I have ever watched but I have also loved watching her advocate for those coming up through the ranks.

“She will also be remembered for how she represented swimming. The standards she set in and out of the water were second to none and she has a lifelong love of the sport so she won’t be disappearing from swimming.”

Dolphins head coach Rohan Taylor:

“She was and will continue to be a great role model for younger athletes. She always carried herself with dignity, and while we all saw her grace – the public can not truly appreciate how tough she is.”

“Emma is a fierce competitor and she pushed herself through so many challenges during her career – the 100m freestyle gold in Tokyo was one of her best performances but for me what stands out is her commitment to the team.

“In Tokyo she swam 50m free semi and then eight minutes later lined up for the 4x100m mixed medley relay. Emma chose to do that … she said ‘I’ve got this’; she wanted to help the relay team and they won bronze. It was a clutch performance and there was no question of her wanting to save herself for the 50m free final the next day … which of course she won.

“She always put her hand up to do the difficult things. And in Paris, to see her jump in the pool with her good mates and training partners was a special moment … Emma has a high level of care towards her teammates that will be missed.”

McKeon finished her Olympic career with three medals in Paris: gold in the women’s 4x100m relay, silver in the women’s 4x100m medley relay and a bronze as a heat swimmer in the mixed 4x100m medley. Whether it’s the Olympics, World Championships or Commonwealth Games – McKeon boasts more medals than any other Australian and her influence has helped shape stars like world record holder Ariarne Titmus, who nominated McKeon as the standard bearer she looked up to as a rookie.

Australia’s most decorated Olympian Emma McKeon said:

“If I look back at that young person – I think I was 17 when I missed London – you couldn’t have told her that I was going to go on to do this. It’s just persisting, you have ups and you have downs. You just keep going along and you keep ticking the boxes. I can’t believe where I’m at right now and how I got here.”

“Leading in to Paris was definitely the hardest preparation I have had. I lost a lot of confidence in my swimming and felt a lot of pressure to back-up what I had done in Tokyo. But I’m proud of how I handled it and proud I could still step up for my team while feeling the self-doubt.

“Great things take time, and the long road there is where all the necessary things are learnt to take us to the next level. I will definitely miss it … It’s brought me a lot of great relationships and shaped me into the person I am.

“But I’m definitely ready for the next part of my life, which I’m excited for. I don’t think I’ve had the time to reflect on everything yet. I want young kids to know that I was once in the same position they are – dreaming of one day doing something big.

“And I want to have an impact on people’s lives by encouraging them to push hard and go after their dreams and what they are passionate about. Don’t be afraid to take on hard things and set aspirational goals, that may at time be scary. This is how we push ourselves to achieve our dreams.”

Longtime coach Michael Bohl said:

“She is a quiet achiever, hated any fuss, didn’t want any notoriety but she took great pride in representing her country and supporting her teammates.” “Winning that 100m free in Tokyo was a standout for me … her first gold medal in Rio, how do I pick one outstanding moment?

“What Emma has done is unsurpassed, she set the standard for the world for so long and along the way never turned anyone away from an autograph or thought she was bigger than the team. “And while I coached her for 9-10 years, I must acknowledge the superb work her father did in crafting her technique early in her career . . . he didn’t work her too hard or too long and this meant she could keep swimming until she was 30-years- of-age.

“What she has achieved in our sport is unsurpassed.”

AOC President Ian Chesterman said:

“Emma has added her own incredible chapter to Australia’s history at the Olympic Games,” Mr Chesterman said. “Emma has been an extraordinary athlete who has etched herself a special place in Australian sporting landscape, particularly through her success at the Olympics.

“Her performances during Tokyo were particularly stunning. It was incredible to be there to witness her achievements, but also to see the way she conducted herself in and out of the pool. Emma is recognised not just in Australia, but around the world, as one of the greatest Olympians ever.

“We thank Emma for her wonderful contribution to Australian sport. She is a humble champion and a fantastic role model. We wish her great success and happiness in the next chapter of her life.”

Australian Olympic Team Chef de Mission Anna Meares said:

“The contribution Emma has offered to the Olympic movement has been profound,” Ms Meares said. “Throughout her career Emma has acted with humility and a genuine love of what she is doing.

“She has a quiet and unassuming nature but is a ferocious and feared competitor, one I had the privilege to see as a teammate, a sports fan and as a Chef de Mission. To stay at the top of her field over three Games and surpass the medal tally of every other Australian Olympian in our proud history is testament to Emma’s character and commitment.

“Emma leaves the sport as an icon. We are so proud of everything she has achieved and wish her nothing but joy in her future, wherever that may be.”

McKeon is unsure what her long-term future holds – and is comfortable in acknowledging this – but on the immediate horizon is a trip to Bangladesh in December in her role as a UNICEF Australia Ambassador.

Not bad for a swimmer who almost gave away swimming in 2012 only to break through for a gold at the Rio Olympics and then at her second Olympic Games at Tokyo 2020 claim four gold and three bronze – the single biggest medal haul by a female swimmer at an Olympic Games – and then finish her career as Australia’s greatest. When asked about her milestones: McKeon said she didn’t really keep track.

But we have . . .

G   S   B

OLYMPIC GAMES    6     3    5

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (LC)    4   9  4

COMMONWEALTH GAMES   14    1   5

PAN PACIFIC CHAMPIONSHIPS     4   1   2

Simply, the G.O.A.T

SNAPSHOT:

> McKeon made her Dolphins’ debut at World Short Course in 2010, and her first taste of the Olympics came at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore during 2010, where she took home one gold, one silver and two bronze medals.

> McKeon rediscovered her passion for the sport and made her senior international debut at the 2013 World Championships, where she won three silver medals all in relays.

> In 2018 she took her Commonwealth Games medal tally from six to 12. McKeon won gold in the 100m butterfly, 4x100m freestyle relay (world record), 4x200m freestyle relay (Commonwealth Games record) and the 4x100m medley relay (Commonwealth Games record) – while picking up bronze in the 200m freestyle and 200m butterfly.

> In her fourth successive appearance at the World Championships in 2019, McKeon won gold in the 4x100m freestyle relay and the 4x200m freestyle relay (world record) – silver in the 4x100m medley relay, mixed 4x100m medley relay and mixed 4x100m freestyle relay – bronze in the 100m butterfly. It became the most fruitful World Championships campaign of her career.

> Post Tokyo, McKeon took a mini break and in 2022 in Birmingham, she became the most successful competitor in Commonwealth Games history, taking her overall total to 20 medals, 14 of them gold. > Her eight medals in Birmingham also equalled the records for the most medals and most gold medals by a competitor at a single Games.

> In 2023, Emma played her part as the Dolphins became the most successful team at the World Championships in Fukuoka with 13 gold medals, seven silver and five bronze.

> She was the anchor swimmer for Australia in their 4x100m freestyle victory in world record time on the opening night in Fukuoka. Teaming up with Mollie O’Callaghan, Shayna Jack and Meg Harris, McKeon swam a 51.90 split as the team put together an astonishing 3:27.96, shattering the record set in Tokyo.

> She was also part of the Australian team that won silver in the 4x100m medley relay, narrowly beaten by the United States. The result gave McKeon, swimming the butterfly leg, her 20th lifetime World Championship medal, breaking Grant Hackett’s long-standing Australian record of 19. But after all this, McKeon nominated “that” Paris Olympic swim – the one fully clothed in a tracksuit alongside mates Jenna Strauch, Mollie O’Callaghan and Kaylee McKeown – after winning the silver medal in the medley relay – as one of her favourite Olympic moments. McKeon retires still owning a number of Australian swimming records including the women’s 100m free (51.96, 2020 Olympics), 100m fly (55.72, 2020 Olympics) and SCM 50 free (23.04, 2022 Worlds).

>She also is a member of three World Record relays: women’s 4x100m free, women’s SCM 4x100m free, SCM women’s 4x50m medley.

Emma McKeon’s Olympic History

2016 Rio GOLD – women’s 4x100m free relay

SILVER – women’s 4x200m free relay

SILVER – women’s 4x100m medley relay

BRONZE – women’s 200m free

2020 Tokyo

GOLD – women’s 50m free

GOLD – women’s 100m free

GOLD – women’s 4x100m free relay

GOLD – women’s 4x100m medley relay

BRONZE – women’s 100m fly

BRONZE – women’s 4x200m free relay

BRONZE – mixed 4x100m medley relay

2024 Paris

GOLD – women’s 4x100m free relay

SILVER – women’s 4x100m medley relay

BRONZE – mixed 4x100m medley relay

Selina Steele, Swimming Australia & Australian Olympic Committee