Team Australia, led by star swimmer Kaylee McKeown medal rush, eyes an Olympic swimming record. Aussie swimmers, at seven, are just one gold medal behind the country’s highest-ever swimming haul of eight recorded at Melbourne in 1956. Australian swimmers had won seven at the Athens Games.

Australia, on Saturday, adding a gold, silver and two bronze medals took their tally to 26 medals. Kaylee McKeown won her second individual gold of the 2020 Olympics with a victory in the women’s 200m backstroke. Two-time gold medallist Ariarne Titmus added a silver to the team’s tally in the women’s 800m freestyle. Four-time Olympian Emily Seebohm won a bronze. Australia’s relay won a bronze in the mixed medley relay, the first time in Olympic history men and women have swum together in a relay.

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The last swimming events – men and women 50m freestyle splash and dash, men’s endurance 1500m freestyle and men’s and women’s 4×100 medley relays – will take place on Sunday. The Australians will want to make the most of the events and win their eighth gold medal. 

Early on Saturday, some late acceleration saw McKeown cover a 0.69-second deficit to Canada’s Kylie Masse at the final turn and finish in a time of 2:04.68. Masse claimed silver at 2:05.42, whereas Seebohm came third at 2:06.17.

Earlier this week, the 20-year-old had won her first Olympic medal after acing the 100m backstroke. She completed the race in 57.47 seconds, within two-hundredth of a second of her own world record. Canada’s Kylie Masse, the bronze medallist at the Rio Olympics, finished second in 57.72 seconds with American Smith in third in 58.05 seconds.

“It’s not necessarily what I’ve been through. Everyone has a journey of their own and it just so happens that mine’s been a really tough one. I wouldn’t have it any other way because I don’t think I’d be where I am today without all that happening,” McKeown had said after the race.