- Ian Thorpe pays tribute to pool Queen Emma McKeon
- McKeon is now Australia’s greatest Olympic champion
- Thorpe said ‘it couldn’t have happened to a better person’
Swimming legend Ian Thorpe has endorsed Emma McKeon after she made Australian sporting history on day one of the Paris Olympics, becoming the country’s most prolific gold medallist.
The 30-year-old’s 4x100m freestyle relay win on the first night in the pool takes McKeon to six golds, one ahead of Ian Thorpe.
‘Wow. I don’t keep track of that kind of stuff. I hear it from you guys. It’s an honour really,’ she told Nine after the swim.
Thorpe was overjoyed that McKeon was the one to finally pass his benchmark.
‘It’s great,’ he said in commentary.
‘Couldn’t happen to a better person, really.’
‘She is the most successful swimmer, the most successful Olympian, in our country.
‘She should be celebrated for the person that she is, what she’s been able to deliver for the sport.’
Ian Thorpe (pictured) paid tribute to pool queen Emma McKeon after she set a new all-time mark for Aussie Olympic gold medals
Mckeon took out her sixth gold – breaking the record she previously shared with Thorpe
It is far removed from 12 years ago, when McKeon narrowly missed selection for the London Games and considered retiring from the sport.
‘If I look back at that young (person) – I think I was 17 when I missed London – you couldn’t have told her that I was going to go on to do this,’ McKeon said.
‘It’s just persisting, you have up and you have downs. You just keep going along and you keep ticking the boxes. I can’t believe where I’m at right now.’
But there is little mystery for McKeon about why the Australian 4×100 freestyle women have won the last four Olympic gold medals.
‘As the years go on, the standard gets higher and higher. You look at the history of this event for Australia, everyone wants to be part of that,’ she said.
McKeon (celebrating with partner Cody Simpson) said it was an honour to be ahead of Thorpe
‘The bar keeps raising, that’s probably what brings the strength to this team.’
McKeon continues her Paris campaign on Sunday in the 100m butterfly.
She is likely to also feature in the 4x100m medley relay and the 4×100 mixed medley relay.
