‘Living the Dream and Beyond’: Kaylee McKeown Shares Big Move After a ‘Wild Week’

BRISBANE: Australian swimming star Kaylee McKeown has revealed a significant life change just months after an extraordinary Olympic journey.

The 23-year-old took to Instagram on Thursday to announce her return to the Sunshine Coast, marking the end of a three-year period spent training in the Griffith University swim squad on the Gold Coast.

This move comes after a brief coaching stint with renowned British trainer Mel Marshall, who replaced the legendary Michael Bohl in the lead-up to the Paris 2024 Games.

Bohl has stated that he will be taking a 12-month hiatus from coaching after the Paris event but has transitioned into an advisory role with the Chinese Swimming Association this year.

McKeown will rejoin the University of the Sunshine Coast Spartans, where she will be under the guidance of Michael Sage, who was appointed as the new coach in December following Michael Palfrey’s dismissal due to circumstances surrounding the Paris Games.

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“I want to express my gratitude to everyone at the [Griffith University swim club] over the past three years; it has been a truly incredible experience,” McKeown stated on her Instagram post.

“It’s been a whirlwind week, but I’ve made the decision to return to where it all began on the Sunshine Coast with [the USC Spartans].”

During the recent Australian swimming championships in Brisbane, McKeown secured titles in both the 50m and 100m backstroke, clocking times of 27.22 seconds and 57.65 seconds respectively.

She also recorded the fastest preliminary time in the 200m individual medley, finishing in 2:08.58, although she opted not to compete in the final.

Although initially scheduled to participate in the 200m backstroke, she chose to withdraw from that event.

At the previous Paris Olympics, McKeown successfully defended her Olympic titles in the 100m and 200m backstroke.

In doing so, the Queensland swimmer raised her tally of Olympic gold medals to five and made history as the first Australian across all sports to achieve four individual Olympic golds.