McKeon, Emma (1994-…), was a champion Australian swimmer. McKeon won 14 Olympic medals to become the most decorated Olympic athlete in Australia’s history.
At the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, McKeon won a gold medal as a member of the 400-meter relay, silver medals as a member of the 400-meter medley relay and the 800-meter freestyle relay, and a bronze medal in the 200-meter freestyle.
At the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, McKeon won four gold medals and three bronze medals. The 2020 Summer Olympic Games were held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At the 2020 Olympics, McKeon became only the second woman to win seven medals at a single Olympic Games. Maria Gorokhovskaya, a gymnast from the Soviet Union, had won seven medals in 1952. In Tokyo, McKeon won gold medals in the 50-meter freestyle, 100-meter freestyle, 400-meter freestyle relay, and 400-meter medley relay. She won bronze medals in the 100-meter butterfly, 400-meter mixed medley relay, and 800-meter freestyle relay.
At the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France, McKeon won three medals. She won a gold medal as a member of the 400-meter freestyle relay, a silver medal as a member of the 400-meter medley relay, and a bronze medal in the 400-meter mixed medley relay.
McKeon was born on May 24, 1994, in Wollongong, New South Wales. Her parents, Ron and Susie, were both competitive swimmers. Ron competed in the 1980 and 1984 Summer Olympics, and Susie competed in the 1982 Commonwealth Games. Emma’s brother, David, swam for Australia in the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics.
McKeon first competed internationally in 2010, winning silver and bronze medals at the Junior Pan Pacific Championship in Hawaii. That year, she also won a gold medal as a member of the 400-meter medley relay at the Youth Olympics in Singapore.
At the 2014 Commonwealth Games, McKeon won 4 gold medals and 2 bronze medals. McKeon again won 4 gold medals and 2 bronze medals at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. At the 2022 Commonwealth Games, McKeon won 6 gold medals, 1 silver medal, and 1 bronze medal. McKeon’s career totals of 14 gold medals and 20 total medals are both Commonwealth Games records.
In 2022, McKeon was made a Member of the Order of Australia for “significant service to swimming as a Gold Medallist at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.” The Order of Australia is Australia’s highest award for service to the country or to humanity. In 2024, McKeon was named Young Australian of the Year. Later that year, she retired from swimming.
