Australian swimming sensation Emma McKeon has made a shocking decision about her future ahead of her third Olympic Games.
Australia’s most decorated Olympian, 29, has confirmed that the Paris Games will be the last in her quest to expand her haul of 11 medals.
She won one gold, two silvers and one bronze at the 2016 Rio Olympics before taking four golds and three bronzes in the Tokyo pool.
McKeon is currently on the Gold Coast competing in the Australian Open Swimming Championships ahead of the Olympic Trials in June.
Emma McKeon has confirmed that the Paris Games will be her last Olympic Games
“I think swimming will always be a part of my life and has been for my entire life so far,” McKeon told the Games’ official website, Olympics.com.
“But this will definitely be my last Olympic Games, so I’m excited about it.
“For me, success in Paris would be swimming faster than ever.”
She is determined to finish on top.
A sixth gold medal in Paris in July will eclipse her swimming partner Ian Thorpe and become Australia’s most successful Olympic gold medallist.
“I know how hard I have to work and I know how hard I worked before I got to Tokyo,” he added.
‘And to stay at that level, you need to work even harder than that. So I think just knowing that in myself is how I can continue to improve.”
It is still unknown if Paris will be the last time Australians will see McKeon in the pool.
The 2024 Young Australia of the Year contemplated retirement during a well-deserved break from the pool after becoming the first swimmer and second woman in history to win seven medals in a single game in Tokyo.
He finally found new motivation for another shot at more Olympic glory.
“I’ve learned over the years that you can’t rely on motivation to get up every morning,” McKeon said.
Emma McKeon won four gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics, including the 50m freestyle
Emma McKeon won seven medals in Tokyo, taking her Olympic haul to 11
‘It’s more about discipline and that’s something I’ve grown more and more into over the years in swimming.
“But I think after Tokyo, what kept me going was that I felt like I had more to give and I felt like I could go faster and do better.”
“So that’s what brought me back to the pool.”
McKeon recently celebrated her second anniversary with pop star-turned-swimmer Cody Simpson.
“I think he’s a different person,” his coach Michael Bohl told Wide World of Sports.
‘Swimming is still his main focus, but now he is in a relationship.
‘They take their relationship very seriously. There is that level of satisfaction, but I don’t see it transferring to your attitude towards training.
“She’s very focused on trying to position herself as best she can to try to secure spots on that Olympic team.”
Emma McKeon and her boyfriend Cody Simpson hope to go for gold in Paris
Emma McKeon hopes to qualify for her third Olympic Games at next month’s Australian trials
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