A Current Affair’s Sylvia Jeffreys pays tribute to swimmer Kaylee McKeown after she won gold at Paris Olympics
Sylvia Jeffreys praises swimmer Kaylee McKeown after her incredible performance at the Paris Olympics.
The A Current Affair presenter posed with the celebrated Australian athlete in an Instagram post on Monday.
“Happy Birthday and double-double shakas to you,” Sylvia wrote in the caption, referencing the “hang loose” hand symbol popular among surfers.
“An incredible achievement in Paris. Thank you for the sensation – you made us all so proud,” she added.
McKeown won a bronze medal in the individual medley on Saturday, her seventh Olympic medal after setting multiple records in defending her 200-meter backstroke title.
Her victory made her the first Australian to win four individual gold medals at the Paris Olympics.
McKeown is also the first swimmer to successfully defend the 100m and 200m backstroke titles in Olympic history.
She has now won five golds in her Olympic career, including a victory in the women’s 4x100m medley at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago.
Sylvia Jeffreys has celebrated swimmer Kaylee McKeown after her incredible performance at the Paris Olympics. Both pictured
“It’s a really cool little thing to have next to my name and you know, I’ve looked up to so many great people growing up in this sport. To be among them is awesome,” she said.
“I believe I have so much more to offer in this sport. I think it’s honestly down to my coach and my teammates. Those people and being around people like Emma, they’re amazing.”
And above all, she dedicated the victory to her family.
‘It’s probably more than what the medal means to me. I can’t put the words together [to say] “How much I love my family,” she said.
“It’s a privilege to be here tonight, to be in the stadium with so many people, to be on the podium and see my team and family behind me. It’s surreal.”
“Happy Birthday and double double shakas to you,” Sylvia wrote in the caption, referencing the “hang loose” hand symbol popular with surfers
“An incredible achievement in Paris. Thank you for the sensation – you made us all so proud,” she added
Emma McKeon holds the Australian record for most Olympic gold medals, having won six, four of which were in relays.
McKeown retained her 200m backstroke title in stunning fashion, running an Olympic record of 2 minutes, 03.73 seconds, some 0.59 seconds off her world record set last year in Sydney.
McKeown was in third place at the halfway point and second at the final turn, before taking the win ahead of American Regan Smith (2:04.26) and Canadian Kylie Masse (2:05.57).