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Emma McKeon equals Aussie legends in record feat at Comm Games

sam goodwin
Sports Editor
·4-min read
Emma McKeon, pictured here after claiming her sixth gold medal of the Birmingham Commonwealth Games.
Emma McKeon claimed her sixth gold medal of the Birmingham Commonwealth Games. Image: Getty

Emma McKeon has capped off an incredible Commonwealth Games campaign by equalling the record for most gold medals won at a single Games.

On Wednesday night in her final swim, McKeon helped Australia win the women's 4x100m medley relay final to claim her sixth gold medal in Birmingham.

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The Aussie superstar's six gold medals equal the record for most golds won at a single Commonwealth Games - shared by fellow Aussie swimming greats Susie O'Neill and Ian Thorpe.

Her eight overall medals in Birmingham also equals O'Neill's record for the most at a single Games.

McKeon had earlier broken the record for most career gold medals (14) and most career medals (20) at the Commonwealth Games.

Mollie O'Callaghan, Emma McKeon, Chelsea Hodges and Kaylee McKeown, pictured here after the women's 4x100m medley relay final at the Commonwealth Games.
Mollie O'Callaghan, Emma McKeon, Chelsea Hodges and Kaylee McKeown celebrate after the women's 4x100m medley relay final at the Commonwealth Games. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

"It's more than I could have expected," she said after the medley relay final on Wednesday night.

All-in-all, McKeon won gold in the mixed 4x100m medley relay, 50m butterfly, 50m freestyle, 4x100m freestyle relay, mixed 4x100 freestyle relay and 4x100m medley relay.

She also won silver in the 100m butterfly and bronze in the 100m freestyle.

Her eight medals in Birmingham took her career tally to 20 after she won four gold and two bronze on the Gold Coast four years ago and the exact same haul in Glasgow in 2014.

Swimming fans and commentators were left in absolute awe at McKeon's record-breaking feats.

Aussies collect 25 gold medals in Commonwealth Games pool

Altogether the Aussie swimmers collected 25 gold medals in Birmingham - three shy of their best-ever Games haul four years ago.

They also won 20 silver and 20 bronze in a remarkable campaign.

Of the 52 finals, Australians won 25 of them. And they set the only two world records of the meet.

Ariarne Titmus won the women's 400m freestyle on Wednesday night to complete a rare triple treat - freestyle gold in the 200m, 400m and 800m.

All of Titmus' victories were in Commonwealth Games record times, and she was also part of Australia's 4x200m freestyle team that set a world record.

Ariarne Titmus, pictured here with her gold medal after the 400m freestyle final at the Commonwealth Games.
Ariarne Titmus poses with her gold medal after the 400m freestyle final at the Commonwealth Games. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

"Australia really prides itself on success in the pool at Commonwealth Games," Titmus said.

"And potentially there's more pressure to win here than at the Olympics sometimes because we're so dominant."

Titmus' teammate Mollie O'Callaghan was on the 4x100 medley relay team and grabbed her fifth gold of the Games, while also snaring two silvers.

"It's pretty epic ... we all crushed it this week," the 18-year-old schoolgirl said.

Kaylee McKeown, another on the medley relay team, leaves Birmingham with four gold, a silver and a bronze in her collection.

"It's the way to end the competition ... we're all super-proud," McKeown said.

And Sam Short on Wednesday night swam onto an illustrious list of Australians - including his idol Kieren Perkins and Grant Hackett - to be Commonwealth 1500m freestyle champion

"It's an extremely rich history ... I have a long way to get to their level but I'm on the right track," he said.

with AAP

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