- The swimming star returned to the pool eight months after having her son
- She wants to motivate her son and other mothers with her efforts.
- While he didn’t make it to the Olympics, a rising star earned his chance.
Australian swimming champion Emily Seebohm’s quest to become a five-time Olympian in Paris is over. However, a new star will make her Olympic debut.
Seebohm, 32 and a first-time mother, came up short in the women’s 200m backstroke final at the Paris 2024 qualifiers in Australia on Thursday night.
In the same race, 17-year-old Jaclyn Barclay secured her place to make her Olympic debut.
Kaylee McKeown, the reigning Olympic gold medalist in the 200m backstroke, won the race with a time of 2:03.30. She missed her own world record by just 0.16 seconds.
Barclay finished second with a time of 2:07.88, beating Swimming Australia’s Olympic qualifying time by almost two seconds.
Emily Seebohm set an incredible challenge to reach her fifth Olympic Games just months after giving birth
A new star was born in the Olympic trials: 17-year-old Jaclyn Barclay, who qualified for the Paris Olympics.
Barclay finished second to reigning Olympic gold medalist Kaylee McKeown in the trials.
Seebohm, who made her Olympic debut at age 16 at the 2008 Beijing Games, finished fifth.
After failing to qualify in the 100m backstroke on Tuesday, Seebohm’s last chance was the 200m backstroke.
“Competing with these girls is amazing and to get to the Olympics, I’m still in shock,” Barclay said after the swim.
‘It was incredible to touch the wall and see that I was second. I could not believe it.’
Seebohm hopes her journey inspires her baby and other mothers.
Eight months after giving birth, she fell short of becoming the first Australian swimmer chosen for five Olympic Games.
“The moms in my group came and watched with their babies,” the four-time Olympian said before the race.
“Moms have come up to me to tell me how inspiring this is.”
‘When I was pregnant, I felt like I had lost the athlete I was.
“This is me trying to get that back and show other women that it’s possible to have children and achieve your dreams too.”
While Seebohm’s time in the spotlight is over, he still hopes to inspire the next wave of swimmers and his son.
Barclay has the opportunity to try and emulate Seebohm’s exploits in the pool, with the Australian star also bursting onto the scene as a teenager.
Seebohm also wanted to inspire his son Sampson.
“I’m doing this for me and to show Sampson that if you have a dream, don’t let anyone tell you you can’t do it,” he said.
“A lot of people doubted my return. I breastfed for eight months, went to training, pumped, went to the gym and attended Sampson’s lessons. It was difficult, but doable.”
Seebohm has won three gold, three silver and one bronze medals in his four Olympic Games.
She believes motherhood made her a wiser athlete.
“We believe your 30s are the best time of your athletic career,” he said.
‘There is still more to give, just a different way of doing it. “It’s about being smarter, but there is room for movement.”