Australia's Kaylee McKeown sealed a historical aureate treble successful the 200m backstroke last astatine the Tokyo Olympics connected Saturday, portion Emily Seebohm snared bronze.
Already the 100m champion but conscionable the fifth-fastest qualifier for the 200m decider, McKeown clocked 2:04.68 retired successful lane 2 to triumph from Canada's Kylie Masse (2:05.42). Seebohm swam 2:06.17 for third, having qualified fastest for the last astatine property 29.
Australia had antecedently won lone a azygous Olympic medal successful the 200m event: a bronze to Nicole Stevenson backmost astatine Barcelona 1992. McKeown has present go Australia's archetypal Olympic golden medallist successful some backstroke events; evidently making her the archetypal Aussie to triumph some astatine a azygous Games.
It was Australia's seventh golden medal successful the excavation astatine these Olympics, which trails lone the 8 won connected location ungraded astatine Melbourne 1956. Tokyo 2020 has present equalled Athens 2004, headlined by icons similar Ian Thorpe, Petria Thomas and Grant Hackett, arsenic Australia's top overseas Games for swimming.
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McKeown trailed Masse for the archetypal 3 laps earlier finishing with a almighty burst. Seebohm, too, came from backmost successful the tract to assertion a medal.
The four-time Olympian was successful tears erstwhile discussing her achievement. It was her sixth Olympic medal and came 9 years aft her lone different medal successful an idiosyncratic event: metallic successful the 100 backstroke astatine London 2012.
"It's truthful amazing, I ne'er thought this was going to hap again," Seebohm sobbed connected excavation platform post-race.
"I consciousness truthful lucky. God, I'm not a crier normally, I'm not a crier astatine all.
"I'm conscionable truthful proud, the squad has done truthful well. It's conscionable been similar an implicit imagination to beryllium connected this team, I'm conscionable truthful grateful for each the times I've been connected the Australian aquatics team.
"Honestly, it's been the favourite happening of my full career, being connected this team."
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