Australia’s greatest Olympian Emma McKeon signs off from individual career at Paris Games

A day after becoming Australia’s greatest Olympian, swimming star Emma McKeon has signed off on her individual career at the Paris Games.

Emma McKeon looks up after finishing sixth in final of women’s 100m butterfly. Picture: Adam Head

Humble as ever, Emma McKeon signed off from her decade-long Olympic individual career with sixth place in the 100m butterfly final at Paris.

Just 24 hours after she won a record sixth gold medal in the Australian relay, McKeon missed out on the podium in her last solo race, which saw American Torri Huske overpower world record holder Gretchen Walsh in a major upset.

MORE: Emma McKeon wins sixth gold medal to become Australia’s greatest Olympian

Emma McKeon in action during the final of the women’s 100m butterfly at the Paris La Defense Arena Picture: Adam Head

McKeon, who intends to retire after Paris, still has the medley relays to come, but the 30-year-old said she was still disappointed to end her individual career without another medal in front of a crowd still humming after watching French national hero Leon Marchand win the 400m individual medley.

“It was pretty slow, so not what I was expecting but that’s swimming,” she said.

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“When Leon was swimming, I could hear that from the marshalling area, that was pretty insane. It definitely made it exciting to get out there.

“That was my fifth time out there in two days, so it never gets old.

“I obviously had that disappointment in there with the time and everything, but I definitely tried to take it in.”

Originally published as Australia’s greatest Olympian Emma McKeon signs off from individual career at Paris Games