Emma McKeon has stunned the world with one of the most incredible individual Olympic campaigns at the Tokyo 2020 Games.
Now considered the greatest Australian Olympian of all time, Emma captured seven Olympic medals (including four gold) in Tokyo to bring her total Olympic medal tally to 11 – two more than legendary Australian swimmers Ian Thorpe and Leisel Jones.
Making history not just in Australia, Emma’s seven equals the greatest single medal haul by an Australian at a single Olympic Games, joining Russian Gymnast Maria Gorokhovskaya in 1952.
The 27-year-old from Wollongong captivated the world with her amazing ability to sustain her excellence across multiple events, recover and be an integral part in Australia’s relay success.
“It will take a while to settle in,” Emma said of her incredible campaign.
“I think that when I get back to Wollongong the emotions will really come out.”
“I knew that I had been working hard and Bolly [coach] and I knew that I was really well prepared. I’ve just got a great team behind me and I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for them. I really can’t believe it.”
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Emma McKeon at Tokyo 2020:
• Women’s 100m Freestyle – Gold
• Women’s 50m Freestyle – Gold
• Women’s 4 x 100m Freestyle – Gold
• Women’s 4 x 100m Medley Relay – Gold
• Women’s 100m Butterfly – Bronze
• Women’s 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay – Bronze
• Mixed 4 x 100m Medley Relay – Bronze
Emma McKeon career superlatives:
• The most Olympic medals by an Australian – 11 (Thorpe & Jones = 9)
• The equal most Olympic golds by an Australian – 5 (Thorpe = 5)
• The first Australian in history to win four gold medals at the one Olympics
• Equals the record for the most medals won at a single Olympics by a female athlete (joins Maria Gorokhovskaya (RUS) gymnast – 1952.)
• Equal 6th most Olympic medals won by a swimmer ever
• 4th most Olympic medals won by a female swimmer ever
• Equal 3rd most Olympic golds won by a female swimmer ever
An exciting three years are still ahead for Emma as she builds towards the Paris 2024 Olympics, where she’ll look to write more history as one of the greatest swimmers of all time.
