Aussie sensation Kaylee McKeown wins hearts with inspiring message after new 100m backstroke record

Her mind-blowing 100m backstroke record instantly sent shockwaves around the swimming world, but it was teenager Kaylee McKeown’s post-race reveal that captured hearts.

Kaylee McKeown reacts after smashing the 100m backstroke world record. Picture: Mark Brake/Getty Images

Australia is about to fall in love with swimming all over again, thanks to a gifted and courageous teenage girl who has an inspiring message of hope for everyone who suffered during the pandemic.

Her name is Kaylee McKeown and if the experts are right, she is about to become one of the darlings of the Tokyo Olympics.

Those in the know will tell you she’s the best-kept secret in Australian swimming because it was only a matter of time before she emerged as one of the new leaders of the next wave of champions to wear the green and gold togs.

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Kaylee McKeown competes during her record-breaking swim. Picture: AFP

But don’t fret if you’ve never heard her name before because her minders have done a great job trying to keep her out of the spotlight, partly to try and keep a limit on the expected hype, but also because behind her infectious smile, there’s a girl with a broken heart.

Just 19, McKeown has a perspective way beyond her years after she lost her father to brain cancer last year. He was just 53.

She has a permanent reminder of him on her foot, a tattoo which says: “I will always be with you” but not a day goes by when she doesn‘t miss him.

Sunday was one of those days.

Competing at the Australian Olympic trials, she smashed the world record for 100m backstroke to book her place in the Dolphins team for Tokyo.

Kaylee McKeown in tears after breaking the the world record in her women's 100m backstroke final in Adelaide. Picture: Getty Images

Emotions are always raw when a young swimmer makes it to the Olympics for the first time but McKeown’s tears were real as she opened up about the loss of her father, paying tribute to her mother and sister Taylor, an Olympic medallist at Rio in 2016, who were sitting in the stands.

“I have turned into a bit of a hunger and motivation behind me,” she said. “I use it every day that I wake up because I know it‘s a privilege to be on this earth and walk and talk.”

Social media lit up as she bawled her eyes out but if she wins in Tokyo next month, the whole of Australia may well cry along with her.

And she does have a great shot at gold, even if her inner circle are trying to play down her chances.

Nothing has the potential to stop a rising star in their tracks quicker than undue pressure and expectation but in McKeown’s case, the numbers she keeps posting on the stopwatch have allowed the genie out of the bottle.

Australia's newest golden girl of the pool grew up in Redcliffe. Picture: Supplied

McKeown lost her father to brain cancer last year. He was 53. Picture: Supplied

Her mind-blowing 100m backstroke record instantly sent shockwaves around the tight-knit swimming world as she stopped the clock at 57.45 seconds, slashing 0.12 off the previous mark set by American Regan Smith.

Born in Redcliffe but now living on the Sunshine Coast and training with super coach Chris Mooney, she is the clear favourite to win the 100m backstroke gold medal in Tokyo but that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

She’s also ranked No. 1 in the world in 200m backstroke, 200m individual medley and 400m individual medley and has so many options she’s had to drop one event — the 400m medley — to avoid burning herself out.

McKeown has a permanent reminder of her father on her foot, a tattoo which says: “I will always be with you”. Picture: Instagram

When you add in relays, she still has at least five events where she has a genuine shot at winning medals opening up the prospect that she could challenge for some of Australia’s greatest Olympic records — bearing in mind that no Australian, in any sport, has ever won more than five medals or three golds at a single Olympics.

“This is all new territory for us so it‘s important to keep a lid on it,” Mooney said.

“We have had those conversations, but we really feel as though that we haven‘t got the job done yet, even though we’re tracking and we’re training well.

“We‘re just doing our job and if we get those processes right and some good results do come of it then we’ll celebrate them a little bit but we’ll get that lid straight back on it and get back to the grind.”