Paris Olympics 2024: Emma McKeon becomes Australia’s all-time leading Games gold medal winner

She has finished first more than anyone in Australian Olympic history, but Emma McKeon may have been the last to know she had become our country’s golden GOAT.

McKeon snared an unprecedented sixth career gold medal by saluting in the Aussie women’s 4x100m freestyle relay team, edging past Ian Thorpe’s tally of five to claim outright the title of Greatest Of All Time when it comes to Australian Olympic gold.

In typical humble and understated fashion, the 30-year-old said she wasn’t even aware of the piece of history when asked about it in the moments after the race.

“Wow. I don’t keep track of those sort of stats,” she said.

“I hear them from you guys, to be honest.”

It was fitting that McKeon’s moment of surging into outright first on Australia’s list of golden legends came as part of the relay group.

Not only was it the event where she won her very first gold, in Rio in 2016, but underlined the team aspect of swimming that the selfless McKeon thrives on.

The Wollongong product deferred to her teammates and poured praise on the athletes she shared the podium with — Mollie O’Callaghan, Shayna Jack and Meg Harris — as she took in the moment.

“To be part of the four-by-one (relay) — it’s extremely hard. This is a team of six, with (heat swimmers) Bronte (Campbell) and Liv (Olivia Wunsch)… we couldn’t have done it without this group of six,” McKeon said.

“Everyone wants to be part of this four-by-one free. I feel really honoured to be part of it.

“It has been a rough couple of years, especially this year, so I definitely had my doubts and I just really wanted to be a part of this team tonight.”

Thorpe was on deck in Paris to see his record mark surpassed, and was thrilled for McKeon to take the mantle.

“Couldn’t happen to a better person, really,” he said on Nine.

“I couldn’t think of anyone better to have that title.”

After her third straight Games gold in the 4x100m freestyle event, to go with her 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle, and 4x100m medley relay victories as part of an all-conquering Tokyo campaign, McKeon appeared emotional on the podium at La Defense Arena as she soaked in her achievement.

It capped a remarkable career rise that included the devastation of being overlooked for the 2012 Olympics as a 17-year-old, helping fuel the resilience she would need to become the best.

“If I look back at that young (person) - I think I was 17 when I missed London - you couldn’t have told her that I was going to go on to do this,” McKeon said.

“It’s just persisting. You have up and you have downs.

“You just keep going along and you keep ticking the boxes. I can’t believe where I’m at right now.”

If it is to be her last gold, she can take great pride in the fact that no one in the incredible history of Australian sport has climbed onto the highest platform on that podium more often.

With McKeon ever humble in victory, it was left to her partner Cody Simpson to sum up the thoughts of a nation following a successful first day in the pool.

“We are all proud of her”, said Simpson, who narrowly missed selection of his own for the Olympics.

“She’ll be so humble about it. She’ll never say it herself, but it’s pretty special what she’s done.

“It’s unreal. She had a blistering swim this morning - she really wanted to be in that final and get on that podium.

“I’m so proud of her for getting that done.”