McKeon bags record medal haul in mixed medley

Emma McKeon equalled Australia's medal grounds held by Ian Thorpe and Leisel Jones, winning her ninth Olympic medal aft the Australians took location bronze successful the 100m mixed medley relay.

In an lawsuit making its Olympic debut and fascinating for the antithetic strategies used, Australia's squad of Kaylee McKeown (backstroke), Zac Stubblety-Cook (breaststroke), Matt Temple (butterfly) and McKeon (freestyle) fought hard aft falling down teams who began the opening limb of the contention with men.

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McKeown finished her backstroke limb successful 5th spot with the 4 swimmers successful beforehand of her each male. Australia remained extracurricular medal contention successful the 2nd leg, erstwhile Stubblety-Cook completed his 100m of breaststroke earlier a immense effort from Temple successful the butterfly limb gave the Aussies a accidental to combat for a medal.

Emma McKeon successful enactment connected Saturday. (Getty)

McKeon came location connected the anchor limb successful 51.73 seconds to person Australia 3rd astatine the extremity - 1.37 seconds down Great Britain, who took golden up of China successful a satellite grounds clip of 3:37.58. McKeon was conscionable 0.09 disconnected snatching metallic from China's Junxuan Yang.

McKeon took portion successful the last conscionable minutes aft finishing the women's 50m freestyle semi-finals, breaking the Olympic record.

"We knew it was going to beryllium quick," McKeon said aft the race.

"I deliberation connected the timeline it was similar a six-minute interruption which sounds beauteous quick, but we bid for that and we bash a batch much than that successful training. So I knew I could grip it and the information that it's a relay, that gets you up anyway.

Bronze medalists Kaylee McKeown, Zac Stubblety-Cook, Matthew Temple and Emma McKeon of Team Australia airs during the medal ceremonial for the Mixed 4 x 100m Medley Relay Final astatine Tokyo Aquatics Centre connected July 31, 2021 successful Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images) (Getty)

"A mixed relay you don't cognize wherever you're sitting. I knew the miss connected the different broadside of maine from the Netherlands, she was going past successful freestyle truthful I knew I could benignant of spell disconnected her alternatively than focusing connected Dressel coming up down me."

McKeon is present level with Thorpe, who won 5 gold, 3 metallic and a bronze; and Jones who bagged 3 gold, 5 metallic and a bronze.

Tomorrow McKeon has the accidental to go the archetypal Australian to triumph 10 Olympic vocation medals - and the archetypal to triumph six medals astatine a azygous Games - successful the 50m freestyle. She's favourite to instrumentality golden aft breaking the Olympic grounds successful her semi-final earlier the mixed medley relay final.

TOKYO, JAPAN - JULY 31: (L-R) Gold medalists Adam Peaty, James Guy, Anna Hopkin and Kathleen Dawson of Team Great Britain poses during the medal ceremonial for the Mixed 4 x 100m Medley Relay Final astatine Tokyo Aquatics Centre connected July 31, 2021 successful Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) (Getty)

America finished 5th aft Lydia Jacoby's goggles fell disconnected during her breaststroke leg.

The Americans tried a antithetic strategy than everyone else, going with megastar Caeleb Dressel connected the anchor portion the different 7 teams each closed with a woman. It backfired badly.

When 18-year-old Torri Huske passed disconnected to Dressel aft the butterfly leg, the Americans were much than 7 seconds down the leaders successful past place.

That was excessively daunting adjacent for the world's top antheral swimmer. Dressel turned successful the fastest time, of course, but it wasn't astir capable to pursuit down each the teams up of him.

- with AP

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