FROM WATER BABY TO GOLD MEDALLIST
Emma’s gold didn’t surprise her family,
EMMA McKeon was just a toddler when she started propelling herself across the pool with a couple of simple kicks.
She was a water baby, taking to the pool with a natural confidence and ease — which isn’t really surprising considering her parents fell in love as teammates ahead of the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane.
Ron and Susie McKeon are decorated swimmers in their own right, with Ron swimming at two Olympics in 1980 and 1984, and Susie at the Commonwealth Games. But Ron says he and Susie are “mere minnows” when talking about his son David and daughter Emma’s talents in the pool.
“They’ve achieved much more than us,” he laughed.
A powerful force in the pool, but a “reserved girl who loves the beach and being at home with her family” outside of it, Emma was single-minded in winning at her second Olympic Games.
In Tokyo, Emma has become the second most winning Australian Olympian. She has now won eight medals, and one more means she equals legends Ian Thorpe and Leisel Jones, who’ve won nine medals each.
And while it seems she was bred for this kind of success, Susie and Ron say they never wanted to force swimming on to any of their three children, knowing the level of commitment and sacrifice it takes.
“Susie and I know quite keenly what it actually takes to compete at that level, and while they may have the talent, they may not necessarily have that desire,” Ron said. “We were very open to the fact that so long as they could swim, so long as they enjoyed it, that was the cornerstone thing.
“And if they grew into that high performance mindset, well so be it. But it wasn’t going to be the be all and end all.”
But with their parents running a swim school in the Illawarra, David, Emma and their younger sister Kaitlin were always around a pool.
While their oldest, David, was first to make it to the Olympics, swimming for the Aussies in 2012 and 2016, he always had to work harder than his younger sister. When Emma took to the pool with ease, she developed a quiet competitiveness that quickly saw her succeed.
“She saw her older brother doing it and wanted to compete — it felt very natural,” Ron said.
And so began her swimming career, with her dad coaching her and David until her late teens. Like any parentchild relationship, Ron confessed coaching his kids wasn’t always easy, but he always enjoyed it. He and Susie were quietly aware their kids couldn’t always be coached by their dad, and knew at some point he’d have to hand the reins over to someone else. That time came very naturally one day as Emma sat in the car with her parents at age 18, with the little sister once again leading the way for her big brother - or “big oaf” as Ron laughed. Emma told her Dad: “I’m now ready, I think I have to move on”.
Susie and Ron both agreed that was “the best scenario”, it was on Emma’s terms and her own timing. Emma went on to win four gold medals at the Commonwealth Games in 2014, before winning another four medals at her first Olympic Games in Rio.
The McKeons are all very close, with Susie and Ron following their children to competitions all over the world. Emma and David lived together for several years, and their parents said they were thankful they had each other.
“The three of them rely on each other so much for emotional support, which is lovely to see,” Susie said.
Susie and Kaitlin cheered Emma on from the stands in Rio, and Susie admits not being able to watch Emma at her second Olympics is a little tough.
“We’re very excited for her but obviously disappointed we haven’t
been able to attend,” she said.