Australia’s Olympian McKeon retires from swimming

SYDNEY: Swimmer Emma McKeon, Australia´s most decorated Olympian and an eight-time world-record holder, retired from the sport on Monday aged 30.

McKeon won 14 Olympic medals, six of them gold, over the Rio, Tokyo and Paris Games this summer. "Today I am officially retiring from competitive swimming," she said on Instagram, along with a collage of clips showcasing her many career highlights.

"Leading into Paris I knew it would be my last Olympics and the months since have given me time to reflect on my journey and think about what I wanted my future to look like in swimming," she said.

It was at the Covid-delayed Tokyo Games in 2021 that McKeon really made her name, winning an unsurpassed seven medals to join the all-time swimming greats. Her four gold and three bronze bettered the six won by East German Kristin Otto (1988) and American Natalie Coughlin (2008).

It also matched the record for most decorated woman athlete at a single Games, tied with Russian gymnast Maria Gorokhovskaya (1952). A versatile and tenacious freestyle and butterfly racer, her career looked in jeopardy after failing to qualify for the London 2012 Olympic team. Instead, she went on to become her country´s most honoured Olympian -- a field with plenty of competition given Australia´s swimming prowess.