World Swimming Championships Day 2: Emma McKeown, Jenna Forrester miss out on medals

Australia’s swimmers were given a sobering wake-up call, walking away empty handed on night two of the World Swimming Championships in Japan.

Kaylee McKeown was one of three swimmers disqualified from her semifinal.

Australia’s swimmers were given a sobering reminder of just how incredible their start to the world championships really was when they came away empty handed on night two in Japan.

The Aussies are still perched at the top of the medals table after bagging an astonishing four gold medals on night one, but there’s a reason that’s never happened before - it’s damn hard and luck was against the team on Monday.

Emma McKeon and Jenna Forrester both finished fourth in their finals, just missing out on the medals by tiny margins, but that’s the brutal nature of swimming where the difference between winning and losing is often razor thin.

Emma McKeon has missed out on a medal, after finished fourth in the fourth in the 100m butterfly. Picture: Getty Images.

McKeon, who won gold in the women’s relay that broke the 4x100m world record on the opening night, placed fourth in the 100m butterfly in a tie of 56.88, where the top five finishers were separated by less than a second.

Forrester was carrying Australia’s hopes in the 200m individual medley after her team mate Kaylee McKeown was disqualified in the semi-finals.

One of the most improved swimmers on the team, the 20-year-old als came third and looms as contender in the 400m medley, her best event, later in the week.

McKeown overcame her disappointment to win her 100m backstroke semi-final and qualify second fastest for Tuesday’s final.

Aussie long distance swimmer Lani Pallister qualified third fastest for the 1500m freestyle final. Picture: Getty Images.

Australian distance swimmer Lani Pallister qualified third fastest for the 1500m freestyle final.

Australia also has a great chance of picking up a medal in the women’s water polo after the Stingers beat Greece 9-8 in a nailbiter to reach Wednesday’s semis after a tense scoreless final quarter.

Tokyo Olympian Tilly Kearns, the daughter of former wallabies captain and dual World Cup winner Phil Kearns, was named player of the match after scoring two goals.

F*** YOU: AUSSIE SWIM STAR’S X-RATED WORLD CHAMPS MOMENT

Reviving her spontaneous salty expletive from the Tokyo Olympics, Kaylee McKeown has sent a blunt message to the officials who disqualified her at the world championships.

Like everyone else in the Australian team, McKeown can’t fathom why she was kicked out of the women’s 200 metres individual medley final, where she was a strong contender for gold.

The officials explanation was that she breached the regulations when she transferred from the backstroke to the breaststroke leg but after watching a replay, McKeown said she did nothing wrong.

“I didn’t get to see it last night, but this morning I saw the footage (see below) and I had a bit of a cry,” McKeown said.

“It was a bit of an emotional rollercoaster but you know, it’s sport and it’s what happens in sport. Unfortunately, some people just get the bad hand and I got dealt that bad hand.

Kaylee McKeown was one of three swimmers disqualified from her semifinal at Fukuoka.

“It’s just a matter of trying to flip it into a positive and just give the big F-you kind of thing.”

The Australian team agreed with McKeown that her disqualification was harsh, with head coach Rohan Taylor lodging a formal protest to get her reinstated.

“It’s done, they say no, they upheld it. I disagree 100% but I don’t think it’s definitive. That’s what we protested on,” he said.

“I’ve watched the video … It’s about the angle. I said I don’t think it’s definitive and that’s what we protested but they said they’re standing by it.

“At the end of the day, that’s the rules. They have that in place, they don’t want you to roll past the 90 degree. I disagreed but the rules are the rules.

“They have cameras on every lane. That’s why it’s taking so much time in the heats, because they’re reviewing everything, looking at things.

“It’s absolutely going to be the world we live in now. That’s where it’s going to be … She’ll learn from it. She’s got to move on to the next thing.”

Here's the turn that caused the DQ for Kaylee McKeown... pic.twitter.com/Cd6HnqV832

— Kyle Sockwell (@kylesockwell) July 23, 2023

Although she won’t be racing the medley final, McKeown will still be in the pool on Monday after safely qualifying for the semi-finals of the 100m backstroke.

She easily won her heat in 58.90, second only to her great American rival Regan Smith.

McKeown is the reigning Olympic champion and world record holder and said her shock disqualification from the medley has only fuelled her motivation to win in Fukuoka.

“Shit happens. Unfortunately it’s something I have to learn from. We have footage and other angles that say otherwise to what the officials saw. You’ve got to go with what they’re saying. That’s the rules and I broke the rules apparently. I can’t do much about that.,” she said.

“I can’t really waste time. There’s Americans and Canadians coming left, right and centre. So I’ve got to put my best foot forward and see where that gets me over the next two days.

“I wouldn’t say it changes a whole lot. I think it’s more of just a learning. It’s better this year than next.

“That’s exactly what the world championships are. Every year there’s stepping stones towards the big goal, which is an Olympic Games.

“So if I podium, if I don’t podium, PB (personal best time), don’t PB, everything’s a learning. And if you’re not learning, then you’re not growing.”