Three-time Olympic swimming gold medalist Kaylee McKeown sat down for a lengthy conversation after sweeping the 50, 100 and 200 meter backstroke at the 2023 World Championships.
Kaylee is a rare type of pro swimmer when it comes to managing media, one to watch and learn from. Graciously she did the interview despite a slight cold, and I thoroughly enjoyed the talk because everything was on the table to discuss. Kaylee’s simply so grounded in her confidence and humility, she just spoke plainly across a lot of topics.
In this podcast we cover:
Is she going to 2024 World Championships? No. It conflicts with her Olympic training schedule, but Australia will send some top talent to get battle-tested in the relays in preparation for the 2024 Olympics.
Her 200 IM disqualification is fully discussed. Understandably she went through a range of emotions, especially when it appeared officials were calling some DQs but not all of them on the backstroke to breaststroke turn. Moreover she unpacks how she processed the disappointment and got back in the saddle to race for the rest of the meet.
Will Kaylee attempt the 200 IM / 200 backstroke double at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games? Watch the podcast and makeup your own mind. It sounded to me like she is.
Kaylee has high praise for Regan Smith, nothing that Regan has made the backstroke red hot on the international stage. Kaylee shares a lot more, discussing their ready room conversations, and how she manages the stress of the ready room ahead of big finals races.
Kaylee does discuss Cate Campbell‘s comment – “sore losers” – which was made on the Australia morning TV show. Kaylee diplomatically notes that the show was meant to be lighthearted. However, Kaylee states that Cate Campbell wasn’t at World Champs, specifically when Team USA won the Top Team Award, and then walked over to Swimming Australia and said they felt Australia deserved the award for their performance.
Kaylee even talks about the 4×100 medley relay, where Regan edged her on the backstroke lead-off. Kaylee unpacks that swim sharing where she fell short.
Kaylee covers the above and a lot more, unpacking her coaching and living changes, her 200 IM PB in the spring, her 200 backstroke world record and how much training she did the week before she snapped that swim, which called into question — what does a McKeown taper look like? Kaylee discusses it all.
Many thanks to Kaylee for doing the podcast, and many thanks to SwimSwam reporter Yanyan Li and SwimSwam Editor-in-Chief Braden Keith for editorial support on the questions.
Follow Kaylee McKeown on Instagram here.
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Opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the interviewed guests do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints of the hosts, SwimSwam Partners, LLC and/or SwimSwam advertising partners.
This is a Gold Medal Media production presented by SwimOutlet.com. Host Gold Medal Mel Stewart is a 3-time Olympic medalist and the co-founder of SwimSwam.com, a Swimming News website.
Wow…. very impressed with Kaylee… This has made it harder to root for Reagan to beat her………..but….
Will still root for Reagan to beat her while still being very impressed with her (and being much less disappointed if Kaylee beats Reagan in the future 🙂
Class act!
SwimSwam please bring Hafnaoui and Kos on podcast! Both of them speak good English.
Very disappointing she was DQ’d on an underwater camera from lane 8 with a judge who said it was 50-50. Benefit of the doubt goes to the swimmer from summer league to Olympics.
Kaylee is awesome. Some Aussies who comment here not so much. Talk about sore winners.
So true. Lucky there’s no one from any other country who says anything cocky in the comments
Better to be a sore winner than a sore loser.
How’s the coaching going, Bob?
Just watched the interview. In a word: superb. My second favorite swimming interview of all time. My favorite was the interview Brett Hawke did with Dean Boxall post-Olympics, which just out-touched it.
Everyone has their bad eggs. USA and Australia both have their fair share on here
kaylee always does a class interview – mel you are pretty good too
I’m pro USA all day every day and will always be, but Kaylee McKeown has to be my favorite Aussie swimmer. She clearly puts in the work in the pool, but seems to be an even better person outside the pool. It’s tough to root against a person like that.
And this is no shade at Regan Smith. While I’m sure she’s a little disappointed with some of her swims at Worlds, she had an absolutely unbelievable season, dating all the way back to the US Open in December. She swam times in December, March and April that only one other swimmer in the world could go faster than even when fully tapered at Worlds. Let’s not take that… Read more »
on her day reagan beats kaylee – reags had the 200 WR down at world trials but had a long touch. Backstroke rivalries lets go!
Considering Kaylee has a faster PB in 6/6 backstroke events that seems false
Let me count:
SCM:
50 Kaylee
100 Kaylee
200 Kaylee
LCM:
50 Kaylee
100 Kaylee
200 Kaylee
That’s 6.
You’re right!