Karl Stefanovic was left amused after Kaylee McKeown swore during a live interview following her gold medal win in a thrilling 100m backstroke final at the Paris Olympics.
Ellie Cole interviewed McKeown for Channel Nine’s Today show after her win on Tuesday and asked her if she had a message for her family.
“Do you have any message for (your family) for the support they have offered you over the past three years?” he asked.
McKeown responded: “There are no words that can express how much I appreciate your support. You have a lot of issues to deal with, so thank you for all of that.”
After the interview aired, Karl joked that he would give her a free pass for that four-letter word.
“She said some shit. To all the kids out there watching before school this morning, you know what? She won a gold medal, she can say whatever she wants,” he said.
McKeown is only the second woman to win back-to-back 100-meter backstroke gold medals in Olympic history, after American Natalie Coughlin in 2004 and 2008.
Following the victory, he also paid tribute to his father Sholto, who passed away from brain cancer in 2020.
Karl Stefanovic was left amused after Kaylee McKeown swore during a live interview after winning gold again in a thrilling 100m backstroke final at the Paris Olympics.
McKeown is only the second woman to win back-to-back 100-meter backstroke gold medals in Olympic history, after American Natalie Coughlin in 2004 and 2008.
“I like to think I have a little superpower and that’s my dad,” McKeown said.
“I think he was with me tonight, so I’m more than happy.”
Asked what his father would say to him if he could have seen the victory, McKeown, who famously dropped the F-bomb on live television after a win at the Tokyo Olympics, replied: “I’m not going to swear… I would be extremely proud.”
“It’s great to have my family here because I know he’s here in spirit.”
The Queensland athlete won gold in the 100m and 200m backstroke at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago.
Ellie Cole interviewed Kaylee after her win and asked if she had a message for her family. “There are no words that can express how much I appreciate your support. They have a lot to deal with, so thank you for all of that,” she replied.
She will begin the defence of her 200m crown on Thursday with heats and semi-finals before Friday’s medal race.
McKeown has also added the 200m individual medley to her Paris programme, the final of which will be held on Saturday.
She now has four gold medals in her Olympic career having also featured on the triumphant Australian women’s 4×100 medley team in Tokyo.
She is also likely to be part of Australia’s team for the combined final, which will be decided on Sunday, the final day of competition in the Paris pool.
