- He went where no Australian had gone before and won.
- He also set two Olympic records to give the Australians their tenth gold.
Kaylee McKeown is the first Australian to win four individual Olympic gold medals after triumphing in the women’s 200m backstroke.
McKeown is also the first swimmer to successfully defend the 100m and 200m backstroke titles in Olympic history.
The 23-year-old claimed Australia’s tenth gold medal in Paris.
Fellow countryman Cameron McEvoy won gold in the men’s 50m freestyle just 10 minutes before McKeown took the bow on Friday night.
McKeown 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.
Fellow swimmer 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 shines after setting multiple records with his victory in the 200m backstroke
The 23-year-old became the first Australian to win four Olympic individual golds by proving her worth in Paris, coming from behind to win a tense final.
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).
The Australian ace has a chance to claim more gold in Paris.
She will compete in the semi-finals of the 200m individual medley later on Friday night and boasts the fastest time in the world in the event this year.
McKeown defended her 100m backstroke crown on Tuesday night and her victory over the longer distance gives Australia’s swimming team its seventh gold medal in Paris.
McKeown defended her 100m backstroke crown on Tuesday night and her victory over the longer distance gives Australia’s swimming team its seventh gold medal in Paris.
Other Dolphins winners in the French capital include Ariarne Titmus (women’s 400m freestyle), the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay team, Mollie O’Callaghan (women’s 200m freestyle), the women’s 4x200m freestyle relay team and McEvoy.
McEvoy’s victory on Friday night in the 50-meter freestyle is his first Olympic gold.
No Olympian has ever matched what the Queensland athlete achieved in the pool on Saturday morning Australian time.
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The 30-year-old swimmer, the first Australian to swim in four Olympic Games, triumphed in 21.25 seconds in the one-lap race ahead of Britain’s Ben Proud (21.30) and France’s Florent Manaudou (21.56).
The victory helps erase his lingering disappointment from the Rio Games eight years ago, when he entered the 100m freestyle medal race as a heavy favourite but finished seventh in a final won by compatriot Kyle Chalmers.
McEvoy took an extended break from swimming after the Tokyo Olympics three years ago when he became disillusioned with the sport.
But he returned to the pool with a training regimen that he himself considers revolutionary.
McEvoy, a physics student nicknamed The Professor who aspires to be an astronaut, bases his training on technical minutiae in the water.
But outside the pool, he keeps fit with activities like calisthenics and rock climbing, rather than swimming endless laps.
