Paris Olympics: Kaylee McKeown wins gold AGAIN, going where no Olympian has gone before with victory in the 200m backstroke
- Went where no Aussie had ever gone before with the win
- Also set two Olympic records, giving the Australians their 10th gold medal
Kaylee McKeown has become the first Australian to win four individual Olympic gold medals after winning the women’s 200m backstroke.
McKeown is also the first swimmer to successfully defend his Olympic titles in the 100 and 200 meter backstroke.
The 23-year-old won Australia’s tenth gold medal in Paris.
Fellow American Cameron McEvoy won gold in the men’s 50m freestyle just 10 minutes before McKeown retired on Friday evening.
McKeown has now won five golds in her Olympic career, including a victory in the women’s 4x100m medley at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago.
Fellow swimmer Emma McKeon holds the Australian record for most Olympic gold medals, having won six, four of which were in relays.
McKeown retained her 200m backstroke title in stunning fashion, running an Olympic record of 2 minutes, 03.73 seconds, some 0.59 seconds off her world record set in Sydney last year.
McKeown beams after setting multiple records with her win, becoming the first Olympian to successfully defend the 100m and 200m backstroke titles
The 23-year-old became the first Australian to win four individual Olympic gold medals when she performed in style in Paris, coming from behind to win a thrilling final
The McKeown gold rush in Paris is hopefully not over yet, as she will be starring in the 200m individual medley (pictured with her 200m individual medley gold medal).
McKeown was in third place at the halfway point and second at the final turn, before taking the win ahead of American Regan Smith (2:04.26) and Canada’s Kylie Masse (2:05.57).
The Australian ace has the chance to win more gold in Paris.
She will compete in the 200m medley semi-final later on Friday evening and boasts the fastest time in the world this year.
McKeown defended her 100m backstroke title on Tuesday night and her victory in the longer distance gave the Australian swimming team their seventh gold medal in Paris.
McKeown defended her 100m backstroke title on Tuesday night and her victory in the longer distance gave the Australian swimming team their seventh gold medal in Paris.
Other Dolphins winners in the French capital include Ariarne Titmus (women’s 400m freestyle), the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay team, Mollie O’Callaghan (women’s 200m freestyle), the women’s 4x200m freestyle team and McEvoy.
McEvoy’s victory on Friday night in the 50-meter freestyle is his first Olympic gold medal.
No Olympian has ever matched what the Queenslander achieved in the pool on Saturday morning, Australian time
The 30-year-old, the first Australian man to compete in four Olympic Games, won the sprint in 21.25 seconds, ahead of Britain’s Ben Proud (21.30) and France’s Florent Manaudou (21.56).
The victory makes up for the disappointment of eight years ago at the Games in Rio, when he was the big favorite for the 100m freestyle, but finished seventh in a final won by his compatriot Kyle Chalmers.
McEvoy took an extended break from swimming three years ago after the Tokyo Olympics because he was disillusioned with the sport.
But he returned to the pool with a self-proclaimed revolutionary training program.
McEvoy, a physics student nicknamed The Professor who wants to become an astronaut, bases his training on technical details in the water.
But outside the pool, he keeps fit with activities like gymnastics and rock climbing, rather than swimming endless laps.
