Tokyo Olympics 2020: Emma McKeon wins seven medals, breaks Australian record

Emma McKeon is Australia’s most decorated Olympian in history and the first woman since 1952 to win seven medals at one Games but she stopped short of claiming a new title.

In winning two golds on the final day of the swimming, Emma McKeon became Australia’s most decorated Olympian in history.

The 27-year-old from NSW came into the Tokyo games with four Olympic medals to her name and leaves with 11.

Her medal haul in Japan means she also became the first woman since 1952 to win seven Olympic medals at one Games and the first swimmer to ever achieve the feat.

McKeon has now overtaken Leisel Jones and Ian Thorpe as Australia’s most decorated.

It’s a phenomenal achievement. One she described as a “surreal” feeling that she suspects will take a while to sink in.

But don’t call her the GOAT.

“I wouldn’t call myself the GOAT at all,” she said.

“I have so many people who have worked hard with me, and Dawn Fraser and Liesel Jones, they are and were amazing athletes. Just to be mentioned in the same breath as them, I guess, is an honour.

“I look at the people, athletes that have come before me and been so impressed by what they’ve done but I’ve never been into the stats of medal counts.”

Australia's Emma McKeon (L), Australia's Chelsea Hodges (2R), Australia's Kaylee McKeown (R) and Australia's Cate Campbell

She said her haul of seven medals was unbelievable.

“It still feels very surreal, I never thought I would win two gold medals in one session.

“I’m very happy. It’s very surreal all being over. I feel like it went by very quickly.”

McKeon said she was physically prepared for her heavy program in Tokyo but needed to keep her emotions in check to succeed.

“I’ve been at these kind of meets before where the emotions have been so up and down and so I kind of knew what to expect,” she said.

First to admit - if 6 months ago you had told me that @emma_mckeon would win the 50 free at the #Olympics I would have laughed - look who’s laughing now - EMMA YOU LEGEND!!! 💪🏼🥇🇦🇺 #Tokyo2020

— Giaan Rooney (@GiaanRooney) August 1, 2021

“I feel like both me and (my coach) Bohly prepared for that, we knew it was going to be a bit of an emotional roller coaster. After getting a gold medal, then trying to keep the emotions at bay – I think that’s why it will take a bit to sink in. “I’ve been forcing myself to keep my cool and stuff. I’m very proud of myself.”

Kyle Chalmers described her efforts as “incredible” in Tokyo.

“I don’t know how she does it,” Chalmers said. “She does it day in, day out. To win seven medals, just sounds out of this world in one games.

“To win one Olympic medal is an incredible achievement but to win seven is very very special. We are lucky to have her on the team.”

The successful women’s 4x100m squad.

Emma’s coach Michael Bohl said Tokyo was “mission accomplished”.

“She didn’t get what she wanted to at the last Olympics, she got on the podium but she knew she was capable of much more,” Bohl said.

“There have been heaps of ups and downs along the way. It’s nice when you see someone who works as hard as she does succeed at the highest level - that’s what gives you the most pleasure.”

He said they decided to “roll the dice” and drop the 200m from her program to focus on the 100m, which paid dividends.

“We gave the 100m more attention, she embraced that well,” he said.

“We have seen the 100m drop further and further, I still think she’s got a bit to go.”

McKeon with her 100m freestyle gold.

Cate Campbell finished seventh in the 50m free and was the anchor swimmer in the relay.

In the 50m free, McKeon blitzed the field in an Olympic record time of 23.81, finishing ahead of Sweden’s Sarah Sjoestrom (24.07) and Denmark’s Pernille Blume (24.21).

In the relay, McKeon played her part to upset two-time defending champions the United States.

Their team of Kaylee McKeown, Chelsea Hodges, McKeon, and Cate Campbell touched in a new Olympic record 3mins 51.60secs ahead of the US in 3:51.73 and Canada in 3:52.60.

Campbell heaped preaise on her teammate who, without a doubt, has secured immortal status.

“Full credit to Emma,” Campbell said afterwards.

“But I think that we just need to acknowledge what an incredible job she has done. She walks away from these Games with four gold medals now.

Emma McKeon receives her bronze medal from teammate Ariarne Titmus after the 4x200m relay.

“I honestly could not be happier for her. And, yeah, she is such an important part of this team and, yeah, I think that needs to be recognised.”

It was McKeon’s seventh medal in Tokyo, a feat no other female swimmer has ever achieved at a single Olympics.

“Her reaction time for Emma McKeon, 0.7 off the block, Cate Campbell 0.76,” Jones said in commentary on Channel 7.

“So Cate Campbell has had a big week. She wanted to go out there and have fun and I think she’s done that this week. But Emma McKeon, what a star.”

She added: “She holds so much water and pulls away from the pack which just makes her unbeatable in an event in the sprint freestyle at the moment. So nice and long on the wall, nice and long touch and she executed that beautifully from start to finish.”

Thorpe praised McKeon’s seamless meet.

McKeon with her bronze medal after the 100m butterfly final.

“That just shows how good she. She is so consistent and so unassuming,” he said.

“We were talking about Emma McKeon at the start of this meet saying she flies under the radar and she is one of the hardest workers in the room. It’s so good to see her getting the medals that she so rightly deserves.

“This has most definitely been Emma McKeon’s meet. She has been dominant. She’s been brilliant. She’s been fantastic. And it has been a pleasure to watch.

“She skips across the water in a way that we don’t often see. She’s quite slight in her physicality but the way that she’s able to move through the water is impressive.”

It was McKeon’s third gold of the games with victories also in the 100m freestyle and women’s 4x100m freestyle relay.

McKeon was a member of the bronze medal-winning 4x100 medley relay team.