41 Facts About Emma McKeon

Emma McKeon is an eight-time world record holder, three current and five former, in relays.

Emma McKeon won 20 medals, including five gold medals, at the World Aquatics Championships; and a record 20 medals, including 14 gold, at the Commonwealth Games.

In 2024, McKeon surpassed Ian Thorpe for the most number of Olympic gold medals won over the course of an Australian athlete's career with six total gold medals earned at her three appearances at the Olympic Games.

Emma McKeon was the highest scoring competitor, male or female, for the 2021 FINA Swimming World Cup where she earned a total of fourteen medals, including ten gold medals and four silver medals.

Emma McKeon was born on 24 May 1994 in Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia.

Emma McKeon is the sister of Kaitlin, Olympian David McKeon, and the daughter of four-time Commonwealth gold medalist and two-time Olympian Ron McKeon, both of whom are swimmers.

Emma McKeon's mother, Susie, was a swimmer who competed in the Commonwealth Games and her uncle, Rob Woodhouse, was a two-time Olympian.

Emma McKeon completed her secondary education in 2012 from The Illawarra Grammar School and following graduation, at the age of 18, relocated to Brisbane to train under Vince Raleigh at the Chandler Aquatic Centre in 2014.

In 2015, Emma McKeon switched coaches again and began training under Michael Bohl, initially at Brisbane's St Peters Western Swimming Club before the pair relocated to Griffith University on the Gold Coast in 2017 where Emma McKeon studied a bachelor's degree in public health and health promotion with a major in nutrition.

Emma McKeon competed at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics held in Singapore.

Emma McKeon missed out on being selected for the London 2012 Summer Olympics after failing to place in her freestyle and butterfly events at the 2012 Olympic Trials.

Emma McKeon was selected as part of the Australian team for the 2016 Summer Olympics, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

At the 2020 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo, Japan, Emma McKeon won seven medals, the most by a female swimmer at a single Olympic Games.

Emma McKeon's feat equalled the most medals won by a female athlete in any sport at a single Olympic Games, tying Soviet gymnast Maria Gorokhovskaya.

Emma McKeon broke the record for the most Olympic medals ever received by an Australian, a title previously held by Ian Thorpe and Leisel Jones, after winning four gold and three bronze medals, and bringing her total medal count to 11.

In 2015, Emma McKeon competed at the 16th FINA World Championships held in Kazan, Russia.

Emma McKeon finished fourth in the 100 metre butterfly with a time of 57.67, and in a time of 1:56.41 placed seventh in the 200 metre freestyle.

Emma McKeon won four silver and two bronze medals at the 2017 World Swimming Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

At the 2019 World Aquatics Championships at Gwangju in South Korea Emma McKeon won six medals.

Emma McKeon won one gold and two silver medals at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan.

In individual events Emma McKeon finished fourth in the 100 metre butterfly with a time of 56.88, fifth in the 50 metre freestyle and fifth in the 100 metre freestyle.

Emma McKeon was selected as part of the Australian squad for the 2014 Commonwealth Games, held in Glasgow, Scotland.

Emma McKeon won the most number of medals in swimming at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Queensland, with four gold and two bronze medals; equalling her previous record set at the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Swimming in the 200 metre freestyle, Emma McKeon placed second in the preliminary heats with a time of 1:57.40 to advance through to the final where earned the bronze medal in a time of 1:56.26.

Emma McKeon broke the record for the most Commonwealth Games medals ever received after winning six gold, one silver and one bronze medals, and bringing her total medal count to 20.

Emma McKeon equalled the most gold medals won at a single Games previously set by Susie O'Neill and Ian Thorpe; and her eight medals equals the most medals won at a single Games, a record previously held by Susie O'Neill.

Emma McKeon is a member of the London Roar team and she competed in the 2019 inaugural season of the International Swimming League.

Emma McKeon was the overall highest scoring female competitor at the short course 2021 FINA Swimming World Cup stop in Budapest, Hungary.

Emma McKeon finished off her events in Doha in the final of the 100 metre freestyle, swimming a 51.15 and finishing first to win the gold medal.

When scores were tallied across the first three stops of the World Cup, Emma McKeon retained her overall lead amongst female competitors with her total score of 170.0 points, though Kira Toussaint was not far behind in second-place with a score of 169.2 points.

Emma McKeon spoke of competition for the last stop, providing context in terms of her history competing in Kazan and performance with a lack of spectators, at a FINA-hosted press conference preceding competition:.

Emma McKeon followed up her strong morning performance with a gold medal-winning time of 23.53 seconds in the final in the evening, just three hundredths of a second off her personal best time in the event.

The morning of day two, Emma McKeon tied for first in the prelims heats of the 50 metre butterfly with a time of 25.50 seconds and advanced to the final.

Emma McKeon won the gold medal in the final of the 100 metre butterfly later in the day, swimming a time of 55.63 seconds.

Emma McKeon won her second gold medal of the day in the final of the 100 metre freestyle with a time of 50.67 seconds.

In terms of total medals won by a female competitor, Emma McKeon ranked third with her total of fourteen medals, which included ten gold medals, three silver medals, and one bronze medal, and in terms of similarity of medal count and breakdown with another competitor, male or female, she and Tom Shields of the United States had the exact same medal count and breakdown.

Emma McKeon was selected as part of a 36-person team for the FINA World Swimming Championships held in Melbourne, Victoria in December 2022.

Emma McKeon's efforts earned Australia a gold medal and a new World Short Course record with an overall time of 3:25.43.

Emma McKeon's efforts helped Australia win a gold medal and with an overall time of 1:42.35 established a new World Short Course record.

Emma McKeon briefly dated fellow Australian swimmer Kyle Chalmers in 2021.

At the 2022 'Better Future for All' forum held at Griffith University, Emma McKeon suggested that while "you do want to be inclusive" it is "not fair" to expect women to compete against transgender women.