Fascinating Query Surrounding Kaylee McKeown After ‘Minor Blip’ in DQ Controversy

ADELAIDE: Aside from Kaylee McKeown’s close friends and the technical officials who assessed her slight flinch at the wall, the only person who truly understands what prompted her minuscule movement before the signal is the backstroke champion herself.

Those who were left in shock by her disqualification on the initial day of the Australian world championship trials can speculate about the reason behind it, potentially forming educated guesses on the incident, but the number of individuals who genuinely know the truth is quite limited.

On one level, it’s an irrelevant debate. Yes, her head twitched just prior to the electronic beep during her heat of the 50-metre backstroke on Monday afternoon, but she successfully appealed the disqualification and was reinstated. Officials were convinced by McKeown’s assertion that she had been distracted. She then returned to the same spot at the SA Aquatic and Leisure Centre that very night in lane four and accomplished what she needed to qualify for the Singapore world championships. The holder of the event’s world record will be ready to spring from the wall in search of more shining gold when the beep sounds in July.

Simultaneously, the mystery behind the flinch is a captivating topic that continues to intrigue many. In the world of sports, with its moments of euphoria and despair, alongside the extraordinary, the inspiring, the unfortunate, and the humorous, people are drawn to the strange. This incident combined heartbreak, awkwardness, and peculiarity all at once.

Ariarne Titmus is among those pondering what led to the early movement.

“In a race, if you make a slight movement before the beep sounds, due to seeing a flash or hearing a noise, all athletes would be required to calm down, and they’d restart the race,” Titmus mentioned during the Nine broadcast.

“So my question is: what did she see or hear that caused her to have that small jolt?”

This is a question McKeown isn’t keen to delve into.

“I knew what caused the movement,” she told Cate Campbell on Nine following the final on Monday night.

“I understood right away.

“But… I’m not going to comment on it any more. It’s just how things unfolded.”

Responding to inquiries from a throng of journalists after her chat with Campbell, her lips remained tight-lipped.

“Simply put, I got DQ’d, and then I was reinstated,” McKeown said.

Catch the 2025 Australian swimming trials live and free on Nine and 9Now, happening from June 9-14.

A reporter pressed for clarity, inquiring if she had been “distracted by something,” in hopes of provoking a more detailed explanation.

“Yes, and that’s as far as I’m comfortable discussing it,” she responded.

“Things occur, and it unfolded that way.

“I was aware as soon as I began what I had done.

“Fortunately, we have the technology to review the footage, and we identified the distraction, leading to my reinstatement.”

In her line of sight was a photographer, who seemed unobtrusive. To either side of her, race officials were present, but they did not appear distracting either. Maybe it was a hanging light fixture, or the faintest sound that caught her attention.

“It could have even been a slight movement of the official’s toe,” mused Titmus.

“There are so many factors that could have caught her eye.

“Also, Kaylee wears glasses, so we can’t ascertain how her vision is while in that starting position.

“Only she knows what truly triggered that little jolt.”

The incident of McKeown’s disqualification stirred a considerable buzz at the pool, reminiscent of that infamous Ian Thorpe moment — for those unfamiliar, it refers to the time the legendary swimmer fell off his block and into the pool during the Australian trials for the Athens 2004 Olympics.

At the time, Thorpe was the defending Olympic gold medallist in the 400m freestyle and the holder of the event’s world record. However, in one unexpected moment during the heats, his defence had faltered.

Fortunately, Thorpe did get the opportunity to defend his Olympic 400m title and went on to achieve victory in Athens, thanks to Craig Stevens, the athlete who had qualified in his place, selflessly relinquishing his spot a month prior.

While the McKeown disqualification may not equate to the magnitude of the Thorpe incident, it bears similarity to the saga, much like comparing Ian Thorpe’s swimming prowess to that of any ordinary swimmer.

It’s likely that, similar to the Thorpe disqualification, discussions about McKeown’s event will continue for years to come, perhaps without anyone ever truly understanding what caused the golden girl to flinch.