- Emma McKeon doesn’t know what the future holds
- McKeon retired from swimming after the Olympics
- But Kyle Chalmers has made his position very clear
Retired swimmer Emma McKeon, Australia’s most successful Olympic competitor, is unsure what her future holds.
But Kyle Chalmers knows what awaits him: training even harder to continue his great swimming career for as long as possible.
McKeon’s legendary Olympic career ends with an Australian record: six gold medals from her total of 14 medals, including three silver and five bronze.
“I will definitely miss it,” McKeon said Monday.
‘It has given me many wonderful relationships and experiences and has shaped me into the person I am.
‘I will miss the training and the racing, but I am absolutely ready for the next part of my life and I am looking forward to it.’
The 30-year-old three-time Olympian isn’t sure what her life will look like outside the pool, but she’s entering retirement feeling content.
“I’m really happy that I was able to do my part when the Olympics finally came around,” she said.
Emma McKeon sent cryptic message about her life after swimming
Australia’s best ever Olympian retires from swimming after Paris Games
Chalmers won two silvers and one bronze in Paris and has nine medals to his name, equalling Ian Thorpe’s record for the most Olympic medals for an Australian male.
The 26-year-old has vowed to continue swimming.
“My mind is very strong, it’s just a question of how long my body can hold out,” Chalmers said Monday.
But Chalmers said the proverbial goals have shifted in his favorite event, the 100-meter freestyle.
In Paris, Chalmers won silver behind China’s Pan Zhanle, who broke his own world record with a time of 46.40 seconds.
During Sunday evening’s medley relay, the Chinese swimmer set the fastest split time ever in the men’s 100-meter freestyle: 45.92. This was the crowning achievement of his team that won gold.
But teammate Kyle Chalmers has made his ambitions crystal clear
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Individual times in relays count as records only if the time is recorded on the first leg. Pan’s split was recorded on the last leg.
“I don’t know what more I can do training-wise to achieve that… I’ll have to train even harder now to be able to compete with him,” Chalmers said.
‘I’m going to use it as motivation and do everything I can to match those times.
‘I want to be competitive, I don’t want to finish second or third.
“It’s up to me now to get better. And I’m looking forward to that challenge.”