Paris Olympics: Cameron McEvoy wins ninth Australian gold medal with stunning 50m freestyle swim

Cameron McEvoy has become one of the greatest redemption stories in Olympic history, becoming the first Australian to win gold in the men’s 50m freestyle since the event was added to the Games in 1988.

McEvoy claimed Australia’s ninth gold medal at the Paris Olympics on Friday night at La Defense Arena in a highly emotional evening in the pool.

And it came after the Australian came close to quitting the sport after a string of frustrating results.

After suffering from burnout, McEvoy essentially retired and was away from the pool for seven months. During this time, he trained six days a week at a local gym for fun and developed a passion for rock climbing.

His rankings were modest: 40th in the world in 2020, 51st in 2021 and 38th in 2022.

In a fairytale twist, he won his first individual title in 2023. Now he is part of Olympic folklore and has made Australian sporting history.

The 30-year-old, the first Australian man to compete in four Olympic Games, won the one-lap sprint in 21.25 seconds.

The victory is McEvoy’s first Olympic gold medal and eases the disappointment he felt about the Rio Games eight years ago.

Then he went into the Olympics as a wild favorite to win the 100m freestyle, but finished seventh in the final. Eight years later and in his third decade, he is finally an Olympic champion.

McEvoy leaps triumphantly from the pool after claiming victory in the men’s 50m freestyle

It is the first time an Australian has won gold in the event since it was first held at the Olympic Games in 1988.

You could see what it meant to the Australian jumping out of the pool after winning bronze medals in Rio and Tokyo, and finally taking gold at his fourth Olympic Games for Australia.

The victory sent commentator and Australian swimming legend Ian Thorpe into raptures, who repeatedly shouted “Yes!” during Nine’s coverage.

His victory makes up for the disappointment of eight years ago at the Games in Rio, when he was the big favorite in the 100m freestyle, but finished seventh in a final won by fellow countryman 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.

Cam McEvoy became the first Australian man to win gold in Paris on Saturday morning with the comeback victory after becoming disillusioned with the sport in 2021.

McEvoy (right) celebrates with Great Britain’s Benjamin Proud to win his first gold at his fourth Olympics – sending Ian Thorpe into raptures

McEvoy, a physics student nicknamed The Professor, aspires to be an astronaut, basing 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.

McEvoy gives the Australian swimming team a sixth gold medal in Paris.

He joins Ariarne Titmus (women’s 400m freestyle), the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay team, Mollie O’Callaghan (women’s 200m freestyle), Kaylee McKeown (women’s 100m backstroke) and the women’s 4x200m freestyle team as winners in the French capital.

More to come…