Kaylee McKeown

There are very few athletes who can lay claim to being the greatest-of-all-time while they are still competing. Kaylee McKeown is one of them.

Australia’s golden girl of the pool, McKeown has redefined what excellence looks like in modern swimming. A five-time Olympic champion and nine-time Olympic medallist, she is the most successful individual Australian Olympian in history.

Her Olympic record alone places her in rare air. McKeown is the reigning Olympic champion in both the 100m and 200m backstroke, a double she has achieved at two consecutive Olympic Games. In doing so, she became the first woman in history to win both events across back-to-back Olympics.

That success has been underpinned by global supremacy. A three-time world-record holder, McKeown is the first woman ever to simultaneously hold the world records in the 50m, 100m and 200m backstroke. At the 2023 World Aquatics Championships, she delivered a performance for the ages, sweeping all three backstroke events and becoming only the second swimmer in history to complete a clean sweep of a single stroke at a World Championships.

The accolades have followed. In 2023, she was named World Aquatics Best Female Swimmer of the Year after dominating the World Cup circuit and reinforcing her position as the world’s pre-eminent backstroker. In 2025, she extended her legacy again, becoming the first woman to win six individual world titles in backstroke events, and the first to claim the 200m backstroke world title three times.

Raised on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, McKeown’s rise has been shaped by discipline and uncompromising standards. Those closest to her speak less about raw talent and more about consistency forged through repetition, focus and an unwavering commitment to improvement. 

She announced herself as a generational talent at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, claiming two individual gold medals and another gold in the 4 x 100 Medley Relay with a level of confidence rarely seen on the sport’s biggest stage. At the Paris 2024 Olympics, she returned not chasing validation, but setting the standard – adding two more individual gold medals and cementing her status as one of the defining athletes of her era. Her campaign was capped by being selected as Australia’s Flag Bearer for the Olympic Closing Ceremony – recognition of her standing not only as a champion, but as a leader within the Australian Olympic team.

Out of the pool, McKeown’s appeal is defined by authenticity. She has never tried to be anything other than herself, and that genuine, unforced presence has become central to her public profile. Unmistakably real, she connects naturally with audiences and brands, carrying herself with a humility that belies her achievements.

As the focus turns toward LA 2028, McKeown stands as one of Australia’s leading gold-medal prospects and one of the most visible and celebrated athletes in the country. With the Commonwealth Games, annual major international swimming meets, and then the Olympic cycle ahead, her influence on Australian sport will only continue to cement itself.