Australian swimming sensation Emma McKeon has made a shock call about her future ahead of her third Olympics.
Australia’s most decorated Olympian, 29, has confirmed that the Games in Paris will be her last in her quest to add to her 11-medal haul.
She won a gold, two silvers and a bronze at the 2016 Olympics in Rio before she bagged four gold and three bronze in the pool in Tokyo.
McKeon is currently on the Gold Coast competing in the Australian Open Swimming championships ahead of the Olympic trials in June.
Emma McKeon has confirmed that the Paris Games will be her last Olympics
‘I think swimming will always be a part of my life and has been for my whole life so far,’ McKeon told the official Games website, Olympics.com.
‘But this will definitely be my last Olympics, so I’m excited for that.
‘Success for me in Paris would be to swim faster than I ever have before.’
She is determined to finish on top.
A sixth gold medal in Paris in July will see her eclipse fellow swimming great Ian Thorpe and become Australia’s most successful Olympic gold medallist.
‘I know how hard I have to work and I know how hard I worked leading into Tokyo,’ she added.
‘And to stay at that level, you need to work even harder than that. So I think just knowing that in myself, that’s how I can keep improving.’
It remains unknown whether Paris will be the last time Aussies will see McKeon in the pool.
The 2024 Young Australia of the Year contemplated retirement during a well-earned break from the pool after she became the first female swimmer and the second woman in history to win seven medals in a single games in Tokyo.
She eventually found new motivation for another shot at more Olympic glory.
‘I’ve learnt over the years you can’t really rely on motivation to get you up every morning,’ McKeon said.
Emma McKeon won four gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics, including the 50m freestyle
Emma McKeon won seven medals in Tokyo, taking her Olympic haul to 11
‘It’s more about discipline and that’s something I’ve grown more and more over the years in swimming.
‘But I think post-Tokyo, the thing that kept me going was that I felt like I had more to give and I felt like I could go faster and do better.
‘So that’s kind of what brought me back to the pool.’
McKeon recently celebrated her two year anniversary with pop star turned swimmer Cody Simpson.
‘I think she’s a different person,’ her coach Michael Bohl told Wide World of Sports.
‘Swimming still is her number one focus, but she’s got a relationship now.
‘They’re very serious about their relationship. So there’s that level of contentment, but I don’t see it drifting across to her attitude to training.
‘She’s very focused on trying to position herself the best she can to try and secure places on that Olympic team.’
Emma McKeon and her boyfriend Cody Simpson both hope to be going for gold in Paris
Emma McKeon hopes to qualify for her third Olympics at next month’s Australian trials
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