Culture

Aussie Swimmer Emma McKeon Has Made Olympic History, Smashing Multiple Records In A Day

McKeon is the most decorated female swimmer in Olympic history.

by Merryana Salem  1 August 2021
Emma McKeaon

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Australia swimmer Emma McKeon is officially one of the most decorated female athletes at a single Olympic Games, tying only with USSR gymnast Maria Gorokhovskaya who won seven medals at the 1952 Olympics.

Today, McKeon won gold for Australia in the 50-metres freestyle, before winning another gold medal with her fellow dolphins, Kaylee McKeown, Chelsea Hodges, and Cate Campbell in the 4x100m medley relay. The two medals brought KcKeon’s medal total to seven, making her the most-decorated Australian at a single Games and the most decorated swimmer in the Tokyo Olympics.

“I looked up and the girls were celebrating and I thought my changeover was very quick, we’ve either just won an Olympic gold medal or we’ve just been disqualified,” Campbell told Channel 7.

McKeon’s career total of 11 Olympic medals — she previously won four in Rio 2016 — now stands higher than any other Australian athlete, eclipsing the nine medals held by both Ian Thorpe and Leisel Jones.

Australian swimmers have achieved nine gold medals in Tokyo, beating the nation’s previously held record of eight medals at the 1956 Melbourne Games.

Also making historic headlines for Australia in Tokyo is Australia’s own Logan Martin. The Queenslander is the first-ever winner of the freestyle BMX event at the Olympics.

The competitive swimming portion of the Olympics has sadly finished. However, Australia still has athletes competing in artistic swimming, diving, water polo, weight lifting, and many more events over the next few days.

Channel 7 has exclusive coverage of the Tokyo Olympic Games, airing across Channel 7, as well as streaming exclusively on the 7 Plus app.