Swimmer Emma McKeon, heroine of the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021 and again a medalist in Paris this summer, announced on Monday that she was retiring from sport at the age of 30. “ Today I officially retire from competition » announced on her Instagram account the Australian who won a total of six gold medals, three silver and five bronze at the Olympic Games in Rio in 2016, Tokyo and Paris.
A medal record
Behind closed doors at the Tokyo Games, postponed to 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Emma McKeon became the second woman to win seven medals (4 gold and 3 bronze) in one edition, almost 70 years after the Soviet gymnast Mariya Goroskhovskaya (2 gold, 5 silver) in Helsinki in 1952. She had again won silver in the 4X100 m medley relay in Paris this summer.
« Before Paris, I knew this would be my last Olympic Games, and the months that followed gave me time to reflect on my journey and what I wanted for my future in swimming “, she said Monday. Her career initially seemed to be off to a bad start in 2012, when she failed to qualify for the London Olympics. She ultimately became her country's most decorated Olympic athlete. “ I am proud of myself for giving everything to my swimming career, physically and mentally. “, she stressed on Monday.
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Born in New South Wales, in the south-east of Australia, Emma McKeon followed in the footsteps of her parents, both elite swimmers. His father Ron qualified for the Olympics in 1980 and 1984. His mother Susie represented Australia at the Commonwealth Games. Her brother David competed in the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games. Emma and David were the first siblings to compete in the same Olympic Games in 56 years.
« She was and will continue to be a role model for younger athletes » said Rohan Taylor, coach of the Australian swimming team. The Australian Olympic Committee praised her for consistently ” established a standard of excellence ”, while Swimming Australia said she would be remembered as Dawn Fraser or Ian Thorpe.
« The standards she set in and out of the water were second to none and she has always loved the sport, she won't disappear from swimming said Swimming Australia chief Rob Woodhouse, who also happens to be the swimmer's uncle.
