Emma McKeon has become the most successful Commonwealth Games athlete of all time after winning her 11th gold medal in the pool on Monday.
McKeon won gold in the women’s 50m freestyle, coming in ahead of fellow Australians Meg Watson who won silver and Shayna Jack with bronze.
McKeon surpasses the records of Australian swimming greats Susie O’Neil, Ian Thorpe and Leisel Jones, who each hold 10 gold medals from the Commonwealth Games. McKeon now stands in a league of her own.
“It’s really nice to be mentioned alongside some of those names and I will be part of that history for years to come, hopefully,” McKeon said after making history.
“They’re the ones who inspired me when I was young. I remember watching them on TV and that lit the fire in me to be where I am now.
“It is special. It makes me reflect on the last eight years since my first Commonwealth Games. I can see how far I’ve come as a person and an athlete.”
McKeon’s win in the 50m freestyle follows other wins in the mixed 4x100m freestyle relay and the women’s 4×100 freestyle relay. She has previously won four golds medals at both the 2018 Gold Coast Games and in 2014 in Glasgow.
During the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, McKeon also became Australia’s most decorated Olympian, with 11 medals to her name with five gold, two silver and four bronze.
Her success in the pool comes as other Australian women also make their mark in Birmingham, with Ariarne Titmus, Madi Wilson, Kiah Melverton and Mollie O’Callaghan taking out the gold medal in the women’s 4x200m freestyle. They set a new world record at 7 minutes 39.29 seconds.