The fastest women’s backstroker in Dutch history is hanging up the goggles.
On Wednesday, three-time Olympian Kira Toussaint announced her retirement from competitive swimming after 13 years of competing on the senior international scene. She made the announcement through a video she posted on her Instagram account, which consisted of her narrating over a montage of her career highlights.
This was the one. Swimming. It has been my entire life and identity for so long. It has taught and brought me so much. On to the next chapter!
Toussaint, 31, is best known for her success in the 50-meter backstroke event. In the 2020 International Swimming League semi-finals, she clocked her best time of 25.60 in the short course 50 back, which was then a world record. That mark has since then been taken down by Canada’s Maggie MacNeil, but it still remains a European record. In long course, her best time of 27.10 is a Dutch national record.
The 50 back is also where Toussaint won her highest individual international accolades, as she was a 2020 long course as well as a 2019, 2021 and 2023 short course European champion in the event. Despite the event’s brand-new inclusion in the 2028 Olympic games, she will not be pursuing it any further.
“It wasn’t an easy decision,” Toussaint said in her retirement video. “Especially when it was announced that my favorite event, the 50 meter backstroke, finally became an Olympic event. I realize that, unfortunately, it’s is too late for me, but that’s completely okay now.”
However, Toussaint was also extremely successful across other events, as she won bronze at the 2022 European Championships in the long course 100 back, as well as 100 back gold (2023) and 200 back bronze (2019) at the short course European championships. She also is a 2024 long course world champion in the women’s 4×100 free relay and a 2021 short course champion 4×50 mixed medley relay.
Toussaint represented the Netherlands in the 2016, 2021 and 2024 Olympic games, where she competed in the 100 back. Her best result was in 2021, when she finished seventh overall in the event with a time of 59.11. Her best time of 58.65 is a Dutch record, though she has been the fastest woman in her nation’s history since 2018 — when she became the first to Dutch woman break one minute in the event.
In addition to the long course 50 and 100 back, Toussaint also has Dutch records in the short course 50, 100 (55.17) and 200 back (2:01.26).
Alongside her international accolades, Toussaint also had an accomplished collegiate career swimming for the University of Tennessee from 2015 to 2017 and at Florida Gulf Coast University from 2013 to 2015.
Toussaint’s final meet was the 2024 short course world championships, where she finished 12th in the 50 back (26.35) and 17th in the 100 back (57.55).
She easily would have had a gold medal if the 50 back was added for the 2021 Olympic Games.
Great career, always fun seeing you swim and good luck
Great Athlete!
She had a great career