Tokyo Olympics 2021: Kaylee McKeown wins gold in women’s 100m backstroke

Kaylee McKeown’s family has paid tribute to her fighting spirit after she stormed home to claim the 100m backstroke gold medal in an emotional triumph.

Sharron and Taylor McKeown and Tessa Wallace cheer on Kaylee McKeown as she wins gold in the 100m backstroke at the Tokyo Olympics. Picture Patrick Woods.

Australian star Kaylee McKeown’s phenomenal strength of mind and body, which propelled her to a lung-busting gold medal finish in the Tokyo Olympic 100m backstroke, has now set her up as favourite for Saturday’s 200m backstroke.

Over the past two years McKeown has channelled her distress about her father’s brain cancer diagnosis and then a near year of grieving after his death last August into training and preparing for these postponed Games.

Coach Chris Mooney created a protective shield around McKeown when her father, Sholto, aged 53, began to deteriorate. He said support staff and 20 training partners at the University of Sunshine Coast worked to take the psychological load off McKeown’s shoulders as much as possible.

Sharon and Taylor McKeown cheer on Kaylee.

That pent-up emotion was evident when a thrilled McKeown was asked from the pool deck to send a message to her mother Sharon and sister Taylor after her victory.

The response? “F*** yeah”, a clasp to her masked mouth and then “oh s***, woooh”.

Taylor, a Rio 2016 Olympian herself, said of her younger sister: “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 the last few years has been “a really tough one”. But as devastating as her family tragedy has been, she said it had spurred her in that final, crucial finishing burst that overtook the Canadian world champion Kylie Masse. The former world record holder Regan Smith, of the United States, was third.

“I could feel Dad’s presence,’’ she said.

“There have been certain things that popped up on my phone and it’s something only he would say to me, a few moments when I’ve thought that’s definitely my dad here by my side. He was with me that entire race, not just that last 10m.”

All three on the podium had swapped Olympic record times in the Tokyo heats and semi-finals and it was clear from the outset this was going to be a fierce battle. McKeown’s winning time was 57.47s, two-tenths shy off her own world record, with Masse touching in 57.77 and Smith in 58.05.

McKeown, who has a message from her dad, “I will always be with you”, tattooed on her foot to remind her of his support at the starting blocks, said: “I wouldn’t have it any other way because I don’t think I’d be where I am today without all that happening. My legs were definitely hurting with the last 20m to go.”

Mooney thought similar: “Who’s to know that in the last 10 metres that her dad wasn’t there and helping get over the line because that was a quick race, the Canadian was swimming fast and it took something special in the last 10m.’’

And her mother Sharon said: “Her daddy would be so proud.”

Australia's Kaylee McKeown reacts after winning gold.

Mooney said the Mckeown team, which included a massage therapist, strength and conditioning expert, a physiotherapist and himself, had created a deep sense of trust.

“When you’ve got trust you can allow yourself to be a little bit vulnerable and I think it’s been a really healthy balance of good times and tough times, but it’s been shared,’’ he said.

“We’ve thought we’ve done really well emotionally and she’s done a fantastic job in keeping that in check.’’

Mooney had been confident before the race that McKeown had done the work, and admitted that withdrawing her from the Olympic 200m individual medley — because the semi-finals of that event were scheduled the evening before the backstroke — had been a close call.

At some point he said, McKeown will have a crack at the medley because she wasn’t going to be pigeonholed as a backstroker.

Emily Seebohm embraces gold medallist Kaylee McKeown.

Masse, who will also contest the 200m backstroke, said she wasn’t surprised by McKeown’s fast finish.

“She’s been having an incredible year, I knew it was going to be tough and she was always going to put up a fight,’’ she said.

Four-time Olympian Emily Seebohm, 29, was fifth, and said afterwards that without family at the Olympics, the Australian team has had to become each other’s family.

“To see her get to do that, I said to her you’re such an F … ing legend,’’ said Seebohm.

McKeown’s victory brought up three gold medals from the first three days of finals at the Olympic aquatic centre.

Sholto McKeown with daughter Taylor.

On Sunday the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay team won gold in a record time, then there was the stunning 400m victory of Ariarne Titmus over Katie Ledecky on Monday, and the bronze medals of Brendon Smith in the men’s 400m individual medley and Emma McKeon in the 100m butterfly.

As well as the 200m backstroke, McKeown will also feature in the 4x100 medley relay and could be a contender for a spot in the Australian mixed medley relay team.

Originally published as Tokyo Olympics 2021: Kaylee McKeown wins gold in women’s 100m backstroke