Emma McKeon has her first individual Olympic gold medal and is on track for a record haul after victory in the women’s 100m freestyle, ahead of Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey and fellow Australian Cate Campbell.
McKeon turned first in 25.08 at the 50m mark before accelerating home to set an Olympic record of 51.96.
Haughey (52.27) and Campbell (52.52) were hot at McKeon’s heels, while Swedish world record holder Sarah Sjoestroem touched the wall in fifth place (52.68). Campbell was heard to say “I’m so proud of you” to McKeon while they were still in the water.
McKeon now has four medals at these Olympics, putting her one behind the equal Australian record of five at one Games, held by Shane Gould, Ian Thorpe and Alicia Coutts.
After six medals across Rio and Tokyo, McKeon finally has an individual first place to her name.
McKeon still has the 50m freestyle and two relays remaining.
“I can’t believe it,” McKeon said on Seven. “It doesn’t feel real. I can just feel my emotions bubbling up now. I feel like this week’s been a bit of an emotional roller coaster – just getting up for your races and trying to relax again.
“I know all of my family back home are watching and I felt them with me in my race. I know all the support they’ve given me over all the years of me swimming.”
McKeon’s mother Susie said: “It’s a dream obviously for her, since being a little girl, to go to the Olympics. To come away with that gold medal is amazing. She continues to amaze us.”
Only three Australians had won the women’s 100m freestyle event before Friday. They were Fanny Durack (1912), Dawn Fraser (1956, 1960 and 1964) and Jodie Henry (2004).
It was Australia’s sixth gold in the pool, and ninth overall – one more than was achieved in Rio five years ago. In the pool, Australia already has one more gold than was achieved in the entire Sydney 2000 campaign.
Australia is two gold medals in the pool away from equalling its best-ever tally – set in Melbourne 1956 when the team won eight golds.
Five years after finishing a disappointing sixth in this event, Campbell now has her first medal in the 100m.
In the years since Rio, Campbell has been synonymous with the 100m freestyle and the world’s most consistent female sprinter.
But McKeon timed her run into the Olympics perfectly by winning the Australian trials and chalking up an Olympic record in the heats.
Campbell and McKeon hugged after the race, with the former congratulating the new Olympic champion.
Campbell’s time of 52.52 would have been enough to win gold in 2016. Canada’s Penny Oleksiak, who came fourth this time around, claimed gold in Rio in 52.70.
“This is my fourth Olympics but this is only my second individual medal. It honestly means the world to me,” Campbell said on Seven.
“I’m so happy for Emma. Seeing her get up … I’m so glad that there’s going to be an Australian national anthem echoing through this stadium. I’m so glad that I get to be on the podium and share that moment with her.
“I really wanted to put forward my best performance and that is pretty much a season’s best to do that in an Olympic final, off a very, very challenging year that I’ve had … I’m really happy. My emotions are going to start to get the better of me. These aren’t sad tears at all. I just want to thank everyone who stood behind me and got me to this point because I couldn’t have done it without them.”
Meanwhile, Kaylee McKeown and Emily Seebohm have advanced to the final of the 200m backstroke final.
McKeown, the fastest ranked swimmer in the world this year, has qualified fifth fastest after finishing her heat in second place in a time of 2:07.09.
She will be aiming for her second Olympic gold medal after her victory in the 100m backstroke.
However Seebohm, in her fourth Olympic campaign, has the fastest time (2:07.09) heading into Saturday’s final.
Earlier, Australian Matthew Temple finished fourth in his 100m butterfly semi-final (51.12) to sneak into lane seven for the final of his pet event.
America’s Caeleb Dressel was sharp in semi-final two, posting an Olympic record time of 49.71. He is the major gold medal chance, looking to add to his 100m freestyle and 4x100m freestyle gold medals from earlier in the meet.
South Africa’s Tatjana Schoenmaker won gold in the women’s 200m breaststroke, while Russian athlete Evgeny Rylov secured first place in the 200m backstroke final.
China’s Wang Shun took out the 200m individual medley final in 1:55.00, one second outside Ryan Lochte’s world record.