Emma McKeon almost quit swimming after London heartbreak but now has Rio gold in her sights

EMMA McKeon looms as the multi-event ironwoman of the Australian swim team, but missing the 2012 London Olympic Games almost saw her quit the sport.

Emma McKeon questioned her future in swimming after missing London 2012 but now stands as a gold medal shout at Rio.

EMMA McKeon looms as the multi-event ironwoman of the Australian swim team but her heartache over missing the 2012 London Olympic Games almost convinced her to quit swimming forever.

McKeon was devastated to sit in the stands watching her older brother David race in London, knowing she had missed the Australian team by just 0.13s for a spot in the 4x100m freestyle relay team that claimed the Dolphins’ only gold medal of the Games.

At that point it was touch and go whether McKeon would return to the pool, but thankfully for Australia the smiling assassin rediscovered her love of the sport and will now contest up to five events in Rio.

“There were doubts (over whether I’d keep swimming) because it was four years ago and that just seemed like so long to wait for another one,” McKeon said.

“Watching (London) I definitely felt like I wish I had been down on the pool deck with the team but it didn’t really make me want to come back either because it was so long (to wait for Rio) and I wasn’t enjoying it.

“But now that I did come back I’m enjoying it more. When I decided to keep swimming I made the decision to just do it based off enjoying it and making lots of friends out of it.”

McKeon opens her campaign with the 100m butterfly and 4x100m freestyle on Sunday morning (AEST) but it’s the 200m freestyle on Tuesday (AEST) that looms as her realistic shot at individual glory.

McKeon’s Olympic trials time of 1:54.83 stands as the fourth fastest in 2016 where less than half a second separates the top four.

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With McKeon’s early speed from being a strong 100m freestyler the 22-year-old Brisbane sprinter just might have the sharpness to rattle world champ Katie Ledecky and her other rivals.

“I’m a 100m/200m swimmer so I have the early speed. My first 100m comes quite easily for me and I can hold my high speed, that is how I approach it,” she said.

“With the 200m free it just changes all the time whoever is at the top. I think all the girls in the field have still been learning about how to race it.

“Every Olympic year its quick and I think [in] the whole final anyone can win it.”

For McKeon to reach her potential in Rio the key will be taking a relaxed approach into the race as nerves have crippled her psyche at last year’s world titles in Kazan.

“I’ve done a lot of work with (team psychologist Georgia Ridler) and I think it’s definitely helped me a lot because sometimes I have let my own expectations and pressure and how big the meet is I’ve let that get to me,” she said.

“At the moment I feel pretty relaxed about it all. You’d think because it’s the Olympic Games I would be nervous and a bit overwhelmed at the moment but I’m feeling pretty good.”

Originally published as Emma McKeon almost quit swimming after London heartbreak but now has Rio gold in her sights