McKeown smashes another Australian record, but she won’t swim the race in Paris

Kaylee McKeown swam the fastest women’s 400m individual medley time in Australian history on Thursday evening before jumping out of the pool and informing spectators at the Gold Coast Aquatic Centre that she won’t bother racing the event at the Paris Olympics.

It is only the greats of the sport who have that kind of luxury.

Despite clocking the fourth-fastest time in history and the quickest this year, McKeown has zero desire to race the event at Australian trials in June.

McKeown wasn’t even supposed to swim the 400m individual medley on Thursday at the Australian Open Swimming Championships.

The 22-year-old actually won a bet with her coach Michael Bohl on Wednesday, but he didn’t hold up his end of the bargain.

Bohl told McKeown that if she went under two minutes and seven seconds in the 200m individual medley on Wednesday night, he would spare her the gruelling test of endurance that comes with competing in a race twice as long.

Kaylee McKeown after her 400m individual medley race on Thursday.

McKeown happily obliged by digging deep and going sub 2:07. She broke Steph Rice’s Australian 15-year-old record in the process. Too bad, McKeown was told.

For the second time in as many nights, McKeown took down another Rice longcourse Australian record by touching the wall in 4:28.22 in the 400m individual medley. She is not one to hold anything back.

No one has gone quicker this year in the 400m medley and McKeown’s time was less than three seconds outside Summer McIntosh’s world record (4:25.87).

McKeown has made a rule with her coaches: they can make her swim just one competitive 400m medley per year.

Truth be told, McKeown hates the race. She never shies away from tough work but says she has somewhat of a “grudge” against the brutal eight-lap event that tests all four disciplines.

McKeown was a star at the Tokyo Olympics – she picked up three gold medals – but it is not hyperbole to say she could leave Paris as one of the greatest swimmers of her generation.

She is already the world record holder in the 100m and 200m backstroke events and an Olympic gold medallist in both.

McKeown says will take on the 200m medley in Paris – she left it off her program in Tokyo despite being ranked No.1 in the world – but a fourth individual event is not her idea of fun.

Kaylee McKeown with her gold medal after the women’s 100m backstroke final at the 2023 world championships.

“I’ll stick to the one a year,” McKeown said after the race. “I’m just glad I got up and challenged myself.”

Bohl, who coached Rice during her prime years and at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, knows how special McKeown is. He would love to see her attack the 400m medley but it is something McKeown has always pushed back on.

The pair also know there is a schedule clash, with the final of the 400m medley falling on the same night in Paris (July 29) as the 100m backstroke semi-finals.

For now, three individual gold medals is what McKeown really has her sights set on. Shane Gould did it at the 1972 Munich Olympics. No other Australian has.

It is not out of the question, if McKeown’s superb form continues.

In other races, Flynn Southam took out the men’s 200m freestyle in 1:46.11 over Elijah Winnington (1:46.56) and Tommy Neill (1:46.6).

With McKeown opting to sit out the women’s 100m backstroke, Mollie O’Callaghan claimed first place in a personal best time of 58.09, while Shayna Jack and Meg Harris (both 24.28) tied for first in the 50m freestyle.

Tokyo gold medallist Zac Stubblety-Cook (2:07.5) came from behind to clinch victory in the men’s 200m breaststroke, before Sam Short cruised to an easy 1500m freestyle win in a time of just over 15 minutes.

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