Emma McKeown, Australia’s most decorated athlete, announced her retirement from all forms of swimming on Monday, bringing an end to a glittering career in which she won 14 medals at three Olympics and 20 at the World Championships.
The 30-year-old announced her retirement earlier this year at the Paris Olympics after winning gold, silver and bronze in the relay to help Australia in its most successful Summer Games.
“I will definitely miss it,” McKeown said in a statement confirming her retirement. “It brought me so many great relationships and shaped me into the person I am today.”
“But I’m definitely ready for the next part of my life, which I’m excited about. I don’t think I’ve had time to think about everything yet.”
McKeown missed the London Olympics as a teenager, but hit her stride in Rio in 2016 where she won her first gold medal in the 4 x 100m relay as well as two silvers in the other two relays and a bronze in the 200m freestyle.
In Tokyo in 2021, she won the 100-meter and 50-meter freestyle titles, which, along with two relay golds and three bronze medals, gave her the most medals for a single athlete at the postponed Games.
“She has been and will continue to be a fantastic role model for young athletes,” Australian swimming coach Rohan Taylor said.
“She always carried herself with dignity, and while we all saw her grace, the public could never truly appreciate how strong she was.”
Taylor and McKeown’s uncle, Swimming Australia CEO Rob Woodhouse, chose her victory in the 100m freestyle in Tokyo, when she finished 0.31 seconds ahead of Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey, as the highlight of her career.
“The 100m freestyle was one of the greatest races I have ever seen, but I also loved watching her defend those higher up in the classifications,” Woodhouse said.
In addition to six Olympic gold medals and five world titles, McKeown was also part of relay teams that set eight world pool records, three of which still stand.
Speaking about missing out on the team at the London Olympics, McKeown said she hopes her story will inspire young athletes to continue following their dreams.
“You have ups and downs. You just keep moving forward and keep checking boxes. I can’t believe where I am now and how I got here,” she added. “I want young kids to know that I was in the same situation they are in one day — dreaming of doing something big one day.”