McKeown just smashed another Australian record, but she won’t swim the race in Paris

1 week ago 15

McKeown conscionable smashed different Australian record, but she won’t aquatics the contention successful Paris

Kaylee McKeown swam the fastest women’s 400m idiosyncratic medley clip successful Australian past connected Thursday evening earlier jumping retired of the excavation and informing spectators astatine the Gold Coast Aquatic Centre that she won’t fuss racing the lawsuit astatine the Paris Olympics.

It is lone the greats of the athletics who person that benignant of luxury.

Despite clocking the fourth-fastest clip successful past and the quickest this year, McKeown has zero tendency to contention the lawsuit astatine Australian trials successful June.

McKeown wasn’t adjacent expected to aquatics the 400m idiosyncratic medley connected Thursday astatine the Australian Open Swimming Championships.

The 22-year-old really won a stake with her manager Michael Bohl connected Wednesday, but helium didn’t clasp up his extremity of the bargain.

Bohl told McKeown that if she went nether 2 minutes and 7 seconds successful the 200m idiosyncratic medley connected Wednesday night, helium would spare her the gruelling trial of endurance that comes with competing successful a contention doubly arsenic long.

Kaylee McKeown aft her 400m idiosyncratic medley contention connected Thursday.

McKeown happily obliged by digging heavy and going sub 2:07. She broke Steph Rice’s Australian 15-year-old record successful the process. Too bad, McKeown was told.

For the 2nd clip successful arsenic galore nights, McKeown took down different Rice longcourse Australian grounds by touching the partition successful 4:28.22 successful the 400m idiosyncratic medley. She is not 1 to clasp thing back.

No 1 has gone quicker this twelvemonth successful the 400m medley and McKeown’s clip was little than 3 seconds extracurricular Summer McIntosh’s satellite grounds (4:25.87).

McKeown has made a regularisation with her coaches: they tin marque her aquatics conscionable 1 competitory 400m medley per year.

Michael Bohl, who present coaches Kaylee McKeown, and Steph Rice astatine the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Truth beryllium told, McKeown hates the race. She ne'er shies distant from pugnacious enactment but says she has somewhat of a “grudge” against the brutal eight-lap lawsuit that tests each 4 disciplines.

McKeown was a prima astatine the Tokyo Olympics - she picked up 3 golden medals - but it is not hyperbole to accidental she could permission Paris arsenic 1 of the top swimmers of her generation.

She is already the satellite grounds holder successful the 100m and 200m backstroke events and an Olympic golden medallist successful both.

McKeown says volition instrumentality connected the 200m medley successful Paris - she near it disconnected her programme successful Tokyo contempt being ranked No.1 successful the satellite - but a 4th idiosyncratic lawsuit is not her thought of fun.

Kaylee McKeown with her golden medal aft the women’s 100m backstroke last astatine the 2023 satellite championships.

“I’ll instrumentality to the 1 a year,” McKeown said aft the race. “I’m conscionable gladsome I got up and challenged myself.”

Bohl, who coached Rice during her premier years and astatine the 2008 Beijing Olympics, knows however peculiar McKeown is. He would emotion to spot her onslaught the 400m medley but it is thing McKeown has ever pushed backmost on.

The brace besides cognize determination is simply a docket clash, with the last of the 400m medley falling connected the aforesaid nighttime successful Paris (July 29) arsenic the 100m backstroke semi-finals.

For now, 3 idiosyncratic golden medals is what McKeown truly has her sights acceptable on. Shane Gould did it astatine the 1972 Munich Olympics. No different Australian has.

It is not retired of the question, if McKeown’s superb signifier continues.

In different races, Flynn Southam took retired the men’s 200m freestyle successful 1:46.11 implicit Elijah Winnington (1:46.56) and Tommy Neill (1:46.6).

With McKeown opting to beryllium retired the women’s 100m backstroke, Mollie O’Callaghan claimed archetypal spot successful a idiosyncratic champion clip of 58.09, portion Shayna Jack and Meg Harris (both 24.28) tied for archetypal successful the 50m freestyle.

Tokyo golden medallist Zac Stubblety-Cook (2:07.5) came from down to clinch triumph successful the men’s 200m breaststroke, earlier Sam Short cruised to an casual 1500m freestyle triumph successful a clip of conscionable implicit 15 minutes.

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