Emma McKeon wins race to Commonwealth Games all-time medal record
The Australian swimmer claimed the stunning accolade after winning two medals on Tuesday at Birmingham 2022 to take her total to 19 before extending her medal tally to 20 on the last day of swimming at the Games on Wednesday (3 August).
Swimming
Aussie Aussie Aussie rang out at the Sandwell Aquatics Centre at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games as Team Australia claimed a podium clean sweep in the women’s 100m freestyle swimming final on Tuesday (2 August).
Emma McKeon won bronze, and with it, equalled the number of medals won by an athlete at a Commonwealth Games with 18.
She matched South Africa's butterfly specialist Chad Le Clos, who on Sunday had claimed silver in the men's 200m butterfly to join shooters Michael Gault and Phillip Adams as the most decorated Games' athletes of all time.
Le Clos had a chance to claim the all-time record of 19 in the 100m fly, which followed McKeon's race but was left devastated after coming in fourth to miss out on the accolade he was so keen to claim.
"I’m gutted not to have won, I’ll be honest," said Le Clos. "I would've cut my finger off to win tonight.
"It meant everything to me and my family – everyone’s in the stands, my friends flew out for this race."
Another chance
Both McKeon and Le Clos had a chance to claim stand-alone bragging rights in the mixed 4x100m relay final and it was McKeon who triumphed, claiming the record of an incredible 19 Commonwealth Games medals after Le Clos again came an agonising fourth.
McKeon was thrilled with the record, saying, “It is special. It makes me reflect on the last eight years since my first Commonwealth Games. I can see how far I’ve come as a person and an athlete.”
On the final day of swimming at Birmingham 2022, on Wednesday 3 August, McKeon incredibly bettered the record after winning gold in the women's 4x100m medley relay to take her tally to 20.
The Commonwealth queen has been anointed.
How to watch 2022 Commonwealth Games
UK: BBC TV, Radio, iPlayer
Canada: CBC Sports, CBC Sports app
Australia: Channel 7, 7Plus
New Zealand: Sky, TVNZ
India: Sony LIV
Further streaming details can be found on the Commonwealth Games website here.
You can follow all the action via our live update blog article on Olympics.com.