- The Australian expanded her incredible collection on Sunday morning
- Drama took over the field after the 200m individual medley ended
Record-breaking Australian Kaylee McKeown took bronze in the women’s 200m individual medley in Paris thanks to some last-second drama that sent her onto the podium after finishing fourth.
The Queensland athlete finished behind gold medallist Summer McIntosh of Canada, with Americans Kate Douglass and Alex Walsh touching the wall in second and third respectively.
However, Walsh was disqualified for an incorrect turn as the group switched from backstroke to breaststroke, the exact same infraction that saw McKeown eliminated from the semi-finals of the event at last year’s world championships.
That decision by officials last July left the 23-year-old furious after she entered the race as one of the favourites.
“I didn’t see my turn last night, but when I saw it this morning I thought it was completely unfair… these things happen,” he said after the decision in 2023.
“We have pictures and other angles that say the opposite of what the officers saw. You have to stick to what they say. Those are the rules and I broke them, apparently. I can’t do much about it.
“Unfortunately, some people are dealt a bad hand. It’s a matter of trying to turn it into something positive and telling them ‘fuck it.'”
Under the rules, swimmers must not rotate more than 90 degrees on the front of their body when transitioning from backstroke to breaststroke, and Walsh was caught crossing that line at the 100-meter mark of the event on Sunday morning Australian time.
Last year, a disqualification for an illegal turn left Kaylee McKeown furious after the 200m individual medley event at the World Championships. On Sunday, the same drama played out in her favour as she won bronze (pictured)
Canadian superstar Summer McIntosh (centre) took gold, while American Kate Douglass (left) won silver, but the judges took away third place from fellow American Alex Walsh.
The drama saw McKeown win her seventh Olympic medal after setting multiple records in defending her Games crown in the 200m backstroke on Saturday.
Her victory made her the first Australian to win four individual Olympic gold medals.
McKeown is also the first swimmer to successfully defend the 100- and 200-meter backstroke titles in Olympic history.
She now has five golds in her Olympic career, with a victory in the women’s 4x100m medley at the Tokyo Games three years ago also in her collection.
“It’s a very nice detail to have next to my name. I admired a lot of great people when I was a child in this sport. Being among them is incredible,” she said.
“I think I have a lot more to give in this sport. I think honestly it’s because of my coach and my teammates. Those people and being around people like Emma are great.”
And above all, he dedicated the victory to his family.
Alex Walsh is pictured just after being disqualified in Paris
The bronze will now reside in a crowded trophy cabinet after McKeown’s victory in the 200m backstroke (pictured) saw her break multiple records.
“It’s probably more than what the medal means to me. I don’t have words to express how much I love my family,” he said.
‘It’s a privilege to be here tonight, to be in the stadium with so many people, to be on the podium and see my team and my family behind me, it’s surreal.’
Emma McKeon holds the Australian record for most Olympic golds: she has won six, four of them in relays.
McKeown retained her 200m backstroke title in impressive style, clocking an Olympic record time of two minutes 03.73 seconds, some 0.59 seconds slower than her world record set last year in Sydney.
McKeown was third at the halfway point and second at the final turn before taking the win ahead of American Regan Smith (2:04.26) and Canadian Kylie Masse (2:05.57).
