Australian · Mackay, Australia · Born 12 July 2001Successfully defended both her 100m and 200m backstroke Olympic titles at Paris 2024, becoming the most successful individual Australian Olympian.
No swimmer, male or female, had ever defended an Olympic backstroke double before Kaylee McKeown did it twice -- winning both the 100m and 200m backstroke at Tokyo 2020, then doing it again in Paris four years later, a feat that put her ahead of every backstroker in Olympic history on the strength of consistency alone, not just raw speed. McKeown broke onto the senior scene almost by accident, joining her older sister Taylor on the Australian team at just 15 and finishing fourth in her first World Championships final. Within four years she was the one setting the pace: a 57.45 at Olympic trials in 2021 shattered the existing 100m backstroke world record, a mark she then beat again in the Tokyo final itself. She was chosen alongside sailor Matt Wearn as Australia's flag bearer for the Paris 2024 closing ceremony, an honour reserved for athletes the wider team considers most representative of the Games -- recognition that had as much to do with how she carried herself through four gold medals as with the medals themselves.
Backstroke 'double-double' Olympic champion; simultaneous WR holder in 50/100/200 back
How They Played
Technical backstroke specialist with exceptional underwater dolphin kick and streamlined stroke technique
Lasting Impact
Dominant backstroke swimmer who broke multiple world records and won Olympic gold in both individual backstroke events at Tokyo 2021
Career Honours
- Olympic gold 100/200 back x2 (Tokyo, Paris)
- World 200 back champion multiple times
- first woman to hold 50/100/200 back WRs simultaneously
Australian Athletes