Aussie swimmer Kaylee McKeown (pronounced: Mck-Q-n) didn’t just take home gold at the Olympic Games, she set a new record. Beating the United States’ world record holder Regan Smith and securing Australia’s sixth gold medal, she absolutely dominated the women’s 100m backstroke final.
The Aussie, who already had three Olympic gold medals under her belt, had a decent reaction time. But she turned in fourth at the halfway point, looking as though she’d miss the podium altogether with half of the final lap left.
Then something magical happened – the 23-year-old dug deep and with an incredible late surge to victory, she managed to secure back-to-back Olympic titles. This makes her just the second woman to win consecutive Olympic 100m backstroke gold medals.
HER ‘LITTLE SUPERPOWER’
Kaylee credits her nail-biting win to her “little superpower” – her late father Sholto, who died in 2020 after a battle with brain cancer.
.png?resize=380%2C285)
Speaking to Nine, the gold medallist said, “I like to think I have a little superpower and that’s my dad.
“I believe he was with me tonight. I’m just over the moon […]
“I’m not going to swear, but we can all put words together […] he would be extremely proud.
“It’s great to have my family here because I know that he’s here in spirit.”
“SHE IS THE GOAT”
Kaylee’s mum Sharon, older sister and Olympic Silver Medallist Taylor, 29, and two brothers Lachlan and Bailey cheered Kaylee on poolside.
After the race, Sharon told Channel 9: “She turned fourth, but she’s always got a good back end. We’re glad that she pulled it off.”
Mum continued, describing what her late husband would’ve said of Kaylee’s triumph – “He would have been saying F-yeah!” she said.
Kaylee’s sister remarked that she was “so nervous, so excited” watching her Kaylee compete. “We saw in the last 10 metres she just started to pull ahead. And we were like, ‘she’s done it’. Over the moon.”
Her brothers also commented on her win, both decked out in lime green wigs and gold sparkly dresses. “That was unreal. We were going nuts up there. It was – yeah, speechless,” one of her brothers said.
The other added, “It was unreal, man. She was always going to do it. We backed her all the way. She is the legend. She is the GOAT.”
KAYLEE’S FUNNY BROTHERS
Lachlan and Bailey had an interesting route to Paris 2024. Not as organised as the rest of the family, the pair took to social media on a mission to get the public’s help to get them poolside in Paris.
Starting a TikTok campaign, they dressed in random green and gold outfits and filmed themselves clowning around. When interviewed by Channel 9, Bailey said, “We’ve had a great response to TikTok. We put these outfits on and started posting, not sure what to expect.
“But when you look this good in a gold-sequined dress, is it any surprise?
“It’s just really taken off. And we’ve got our fingers crossed that something comes of it. We just need people [to] keep tagging Qantas, and hopefully, we can get over there.”
Looks like their antics worked. The pair certainly stole the show when they got there in their over-the-top, sequined, green-and-gold getups and hilarious interviews.
When asked how they’d celebrate, they said: “Kick-ons with Karl [Stefanovic], surely. See you later, brother. Have the beers poured.”
Kaylee, when asked about her mum and siblings after her win, said: “No words can amount to how much I appreciate your support. They deal with a lot of s***. Thank you for all of that.”
