Australian swimming superstar Emma McKeon is making waves in the pool yet again after setting a record pace during the 2022 FINA World Short-Course Championships on Tuesday, December 13.
With an impressive 13 gold medals already under her belt and a recent impressive performance at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games, McKeon is showing no signs of slowing down after swimming the first sub-50 second 100m freestyle split by a female swimmer with an impressive time of 49.96 seconds during the 4x100m freestyle relay final.
McKeon’s blistering speed helped secure the Australian team the gold medal in a world record time of 3:25.43.
McKeon revealed that she found her most recent swimming accomplishment “pretty cool” while talking to reporters folliwng the world record breaking effort.
“I always put my best races together in a relay – I love the team event,” McKeon said.
“It’s pretty cool (to go sub-50) – there’s some incredible short course who have been racing years before me.
“I think Cate (Campbell) has got our world record so there’s high calibre there so it’s pretty cool to be doing 49 in a relay.
“It wasn’t something I was thinking about, it was just about touching first.”
Sporting fans were quick to celebrate McKeon’s latest achievement, praising the swimming superstar for her “incredible” performance.
“Emma McKeon is the best swimmer on the planet currently. There. I said it,” one fan wrote.
“Incredible. Not only did Emma McKeon become the first woman to go sub-50, broke the previous record by 0.4.”
“We need to start putting Emma McKeon in the GOAT conversation.”
“That swim by Emma McKeon was absolute insanity!”
“Brilliant swim and win!”
“Crazy great last leg. Even by Emma’s standards that’s was a special finish!”
Following her latest achievement, McKeon is quickly cementing her status as one of Australia’s most successful athletes.
During the Birmingham Commonwealth Games earlier this year, McKeon brought her gold medal tally up to 13 with a series of impressive swims during the games.
During the 4 x 100m individual medley mixed relay on Wednesday, August 3, McKeon extended her lead as Australia’s most decorated Commonwealth Games athlete, taking home the gold
She swam the anchor leg in freestyle for the mixed medley alongside Kaylee McKeown (backstroke), Zac Stubblety-Cook (backstroke) and Matt Temple (butterfly), blitzing their competitors with a combined time of 3:41.30.
McKeon’s 13th gold came hot on the heels of her previous gold medal performance, only a day before, in the 50m butterfly final, in a time of 25.90 seconds.
McKeon has well and truly surpassed Australian swimmers such as Susie O’Neill, Ian Thorpe, and Leisel Jones who each have 10 gold medals and has now won more medals than any other Commonwealth Games athlete, beating out shooter Phillip Adams who has 18 medals.