Six-time Olympic gold medalist Emma McKeon has been named to Marie Claire Australia’s “30 Years, 30 Icons: The Definitive Power List of Australian Women,” which recognizes 30 influential Australians who have shaped the nation’s culture, politics, sport, and business over the past three decades.
The Power List was released by Marie Claire to commemorate the publication’s 30 years in Australia.
Marie Claire states that women on the Power List have “informed and steered Australian women” across multiple generations. McKeon joins business leaders, artists, political figures, and athletes who have left a lasting impression on Australian society.
The brand describes itself as combining “high-gloss glamour and gritty journalism that aims to educate, entertain, empower and inspire the thinking women of Australia.”
McKeon retired from competition in 2024. In her final season, she cemented her legacy as Australia’s most decorated Olympian, having won 14 medals across three Olympic Games (six gold, three silver, and five bronze) in Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020, and Paris 2024. In Tokyo, McKeon won seven medals in total (four gold, three bronze) to match the most medals won by a woman at a single Olympic Games.
In addition to her Olympic medals, McKeon also won 20 medals at the Commonwealth Games (14 gold) to become the most decorated athlete in Commonwealth Games history. She also collected 24 World Championship medals throughout her illustrious career.
Australia’s five-time Olympic champion joins a range of other Aussie women on Marie Claire’s list. Other notable names include global superstars in entertainment, business, and sport.
Margot Robbie, Nicole Kidman, and Melanie Perkins represent three of Australia’s most influential global figures across entertainment and technology. Robbie, an Academy Award–nominated actress, has starred in major films like I, Tonya, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and Barbie, while also co-founding LuckyChap Entertainment to champion female-led projects. Kidman, an Academy Award–winning performer, has built a decades-long career spanning Moulin Rouge!, The Hours, Big Little Lies, and Expats, alongside significant philanthropic work. Perkins, co-founder and CEO of Canva, has transformed digital design with a platform now serving over 200 million monthly users, while also supporting global education and humanitarian causes through the Canva Foundation.
Representatives from the world of sport also feature on the list, including The Matildas, who are credited for their impact on Australian soccer. The team’s performance at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup galvanized national audiences and helped drive record television viewership for the tournament in Australia. The team’s success was also followed by greater investment and visibility for women’s sport more broadly in the country.
Paraathlete Alexa Leary is another elite athlete named to the list. The triathlete turned swimmer suffered a life-altering cycling accident in 2021, leaving her with severe brain damage, hospitalizing her for 111 days. Leary made a return to competitive sport, earning a spot on Australia’s 2024 Paralympic swim team, where she went on to win an individual gold in the 100 freestyle S9, and relay gold as a member of the mixed 4×100 medley relay 34 pts. Leary was also a member of the silver medal-winning 4×100 free relay 34 pts. She is now an aspiring pop musician, signing a record deal with ETCETC Music.
Here is the full list of honorees for Marie Claire’s “30 Years, 30 Icons: Marie Claire’s Definitive Power List Of Australian Women”:
- Professor Megan Davis (Advocacy)
- Zoë Foster Blake (Entrepreneur)
- Michele Bullock (Finance)
- Grace Forrest (Advocacy)
- Alexa Leary (Sport)
- Ronni Kahn (Sustainability)
- Jessica Mauboy (Music)
- Sam Mostyn (Government)
- Nicky and Simone Zimmermann (Fashion)
- Sussan Ley (Politics)
- Margot Robbie (Film)
- Chanel Contos (Advocacy)
- Shemara Wikramanayake (Business)
- Grace Tame (Advocacy)
- Jo Horgan (Entrepreneur)
- Julie Inman Grant (Government)
- Brooke Boney (Media)
- Dr. Georgina Long (Medicine)
- Emma McKeon (Sport)
- Amanda McKenzie (Climate)
- The Teals (Politics)
- Nicole Kidman (Film)
- Penny Wong (Politics)
- Rosie Batty (Advocacy)
- Asher Keddie (Television)
- Julia Gillard (Politics)
- Jennifer Robinson (Law)
- The Matildas (Sport)
- Kirsha Kaechele (Arts)
- Melanie Perkins (Technology)
Interesting award. Good to have swimming recognized as an influential sport, at least in Australia.