Emma McKeon

Emma McKeon is Australia's most decorated Olympian, a title she earned with 11 career Olympic medals. Born in Wollongong, New South Wales, she began swimming competitively as a teenager in 2010 and never slowed down. By the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, she had amassed four gold and three bronze medals, making her the most decorated athlete across all sports at those Games. Her tally includes a gold from Rio 2016, and she shares with Ian Thorpe the record for most Olympic golds by an Australian, at five.

McKeon also holds four world records in the 4x100 metre freestyle relay, one current and three former. Her international medal cabinet includes 17 World Aquatics Championships medals, four of them gold, and twelve Commonwealth Games medals from Glasgow 2014 and Gold Coast 2018, eight of which are gold. At the 2021 FINA Swimming World Cup, she was the highest scoring competitor, male or female, taking home fourteen medals including ten golds. At 5'11" with a slim build, the blonde Australian has competed at the top level for 16 years.

Her achievements have not gone unnoticed. In 2021, she tied Ian Thorpe for the most Olympic gold medals won by an Australian athlete. She was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia, a recognition of her contributions to the sport. At 32, she remains one of the most accomplished swimmers of her generation, with a career that continues to add to its legacy.