2021 Tokyo Olympics: Broken-hearted Kaylee McKeown’s path to swimming gold
As Kaylee McKeown’s gold medal-winning f-bomb went viral around the world, there was a touching moment we all missed as she blew a kiss to dad.
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For some Olympians, the fear of losing everything drives them to succeed.
For Kaylee McKeown, it’s knowing she has nothing to lose.
It’s the mindset the teenager adopted after tragically losing her father to brain cancer last year.
Sholto McKeown was just 53 and McKeown 19 at the time.
Behind her infectious smile, lies a broken heart, but also a determination not to waste a day or fear the unknown.
“I have turned it 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.”
McKeown has a permanent reminder of him on her foot, a tattoo which says: “I will always be with you” and not a day goes by when she doesn‘t miss him.
McKeown has largely kept her private pain away from the public eye but last month, when she broke the 100m backstroke world record to qualify for her first Olympics, she bawled her eyes out and dedicated her achievement to her dad.
After her win, her sister Taylor - also an Olympian - was aked how much impact dad would have had on her little sister’s race.
“Probably (dad was with her). We think so too. We’ve kind of been saying that Kaylee’s hard work did 99 per cent of the race and then dad’s little boost at the end did the last one per cent which got her to touch out the other girls.
“It was really nice to see her blow him a kiss at the end of the race and acknowledge that she could feel him with her.
“Just such fighting spirit and, we have been through some pretty hard times so anything after that is easy. The Olympics, not saying it is a breeze for Kaylee, but she has definitely been through tougher things in her life so I think she just remembered that, took it with her and got up there and raced amazingly.
“We’re so proud of her back here and it has been amazing to share this with the other swimming parents too.”
For many Australians who only follow swimming when the Olympics are on, Tokyo will be the first time they will get to know McKeown, but when they do, they will shed some tears as well, in admiration for her courage and inspiration.
Those closest to McKeown have been amazed – though not completely surprised – at how fast she’s swimming at the moment.
A child prodigy, no-one told her to get back into training but she did of her own accord, primarily because she doesn’t see swimming as something she does just for herself, she swims for everyone that cares for her.
“She never takes anything for granted, because she’s a very humble person,” her coach Chris Mooney said.
“But when that whistle goes and she gets onto the blocks, she has that ability to morph into that person that is hungry and has identified all the other sacrifices that other people made, not just herself.
“She doesn’t just do it for herself, she does it for all the other people that have been there to support her and that have helped her along the way, whether it‘s her family or her training partners or the staff that we’ve surrounded with. She’s just really down to earth.”
Mooney has been close friends with the McKeown family for years. He also coached Kaylee’s older sister Taylor, taking her to the 2016 Rio Olympics where she won a silver medal in relay.
When Sholto lost his battle with cancer, there was nothing in any coaching manual that Mooney could turn to for advice in training a grieving child for the Olympics, so he and his team relied on gut instinct and old-fashioned respect.
“To be honest, I didn‘t have all the answers either and I didn’t expect anyone to have the answers,” he said.
“We’ve created a team and a relationship where we trust each other so that we could walk in on any given day and be supportive or leave whatever we need to and still be there for each other.
“We just trusted the fact that it was okay to be happy, it was okay to be sad, and it was okay to be vulnerable and we had time which definitely helped that process.”
“I sort of reflect from time to time and I‘m pretty proud and pretty impressed with her resilience and her ability to deal with that.”
McKeown’s mother Sharon said after the race “her daddy would be so proud”.
Taylor couldn’t contain her excitement.
“That is so amazing. I don’t even have words. I can’t talk. I literally can’t talk. I’m so happy for her,” the proud sister said.
“She just looks so beautiful on TV as well. It was such grace. I just … I’m lost for words. I can’t talk. So rare for me.”
But perhaps her most memorable moment came in a post-race interview with Channel 7.
When asked what she would like to say to her family she responded: ‘F**k yeah’.
SEE BELOW FOR MORE PICTURES FROM THE CELEBRATIONS
‘We’ve got this bubba’: Incredible TikTok tale behind McKeown gold
Sholto was there. She felt it in her heart. She even saw it on TikTok with the cryptic message “we’ve got this Bubba.’’
In the emotional aftermath of Kaylee McKeown’s stunning “win for dad’’ in the 100m backstroke, her older sister and former Olympian Taylor has revealed her family felt a series of subtle signs had convinced them Kaylee being watched over by her late father Sholto who died of brain cancer a year ago.
Thunderclap barely does justice to the force of a high voltage roar that sent a bush turkey circling outside the room on a desperate retreat to the wilderness at the Noosa Resort where a group of 50 parents and friends, including Kaylee’s mother Sharon, watched McKeown provide Australia with one of its most emotional Olympic victories.
Swim legend Dawn Fraser was so moved by the come-from-behind win she rose from her seat and walked to the front of the room, got out her phone and snapped a close-up photo of McKeown on the television at the medal presentation.
“Did you see the little kiss Kaylee blew to dad at the end of the race?’’ Taylor said.
“And what about the way she lifted at the end. That was hard work and a great plan … but it was also dad. He gave her a little kick up the backside.
“I know that. She said at trials when she had nothing left in the tank she somehow lifted. She thinks it was him.’’
But there’s more …
“Kaylee has been getting little chills and random signs that shows that he is around. She has been feeling that.
“We were talking the other day and she was scrolling through TikTok. Random videos started trending and coming to the page.
“This particular one was about “We can get this … we have got this Bubba.’’
Well Bubba was a nickname we had had for Kaylee since she was a baby. Dad particularly used to call her Bubba and when she saw that pop up she though “oh, my god, that is a sign.’’
“We have particular songs that remind us of dad whether they were played at the funeral or were one of his favourite bands.’’
“There was one particular session at training when I had an awesome session and we had the radio on and they played Don’t Dream It’s Over which was one of his favourite songs. I felt it was dad saying you have done an awesome session.’’
“I always think now whatever hardship we go through nothing is going to be as hard as saying goodbye to our dad.
“We have been through that tough spot. Everything after that is easy. It would have been nerve-racking but not as difficult as what she has been.
The family group burst out laughing when Kaylee said “f--- yeah’’ on air when asked whether she would like to say something to her family and chuckled again when host Jo Griggs said this could be the only Olympic event to have an F-Bomb and an (Emily) Seebohm.’’
Sharon McKeown, who quipped she might have to have a word to her daughter about her language, watched the race cuddling the Boxing Kangaroo which the group had named Sholto in honour of her lost husband.
“He will be there watching over her and will be so excited for her,’’ Sharon said.
“Kaylee has always been a good swimmer and she really admired Taylor. I remember when she was eight or nine she even gave swimming away and played other sports. But she stuck with it.’’
INCREDIBLE SCENES AS MCKEOWN STORMS TO GOLD
Jacquelin Magnay, Tokyo
Kaylee McKeown somehow kept her emotions in check as the national anthem played across the Tokyo Aquatic Centre on Tuesday, with memories of her father Sholto front of mind. McKeown, instead concentrated on mouthing the words of the national anthem as the Australian flag was hoisted.
But the family back home on the Sunshine Coast were reduced to tears as McKeown’s Tokyo Olympic victory in the 100 backstroke reignited a sadness that father Sholto couldn’t be with them at this extra special happy moment.
McKeown’s blistering tail end pace which earned her the gold medal, was tinged with memories of 53 year old Sholto who had been instrumental in getting McKeown and her older sister Taylor to swim training.
He died of a brain tumour in August last year, just two years after being diagnosed.
McKeown has previously spoken how the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics for 12 months enabled her to spend time with her beloved father in his final weeks.
Her mother Sharon said that “Her daddy would be so proud”.
Taylor McKeown, a Rio Olympian herself said: “That is so amazing. I don’t even have words. I can’t talk. I literally can’t talk. I’m so happy for her. She just looks so beautiful on TV as well. It was such grace. I just … I’m lost for words. I can’t talk. So rare for me.”
McKeown, 20, said her journey has been “a really tough one”. But as devastating as her family tragedy has been, she said it had spurred her on in the final, crucial burst in her swim.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way because I don’t think I’d be where I am today without all that happening,” she said.
“My legs were definitely hurting with the last 20 to go.”
But perhaps her most memorable moment came in a post-race interview with Channel 7.
When asked what she would like to say to her family she responded: ‘F**k yeah’.
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