For the defending women’s 100m and 200m backstroke maestro Kaylee McKeown, the Paris Olympics could well turn out to be a historic one! With the 200-meter medley now on her Paris list, Kaylee McKeown is just weeks away from becoming only the second Aussie to snag three individual Olympic golds in a single Games. The feat has not been repeated since Shane Gould did it at the 1972 Munich Olympics. But did you know Kaylee’s claim to fame wouldn’t even be a possibility if it weren’t for her older sister?

Taylor, Kaylee’s elder sister, is a breaststroke specialist but that’s not all! She has a Commonwealth Games gold medal under her belt to boast about. It was Taylor whose antics in the pool inspired her sibling to take up swimming at the age of 15. As Kaylee stands on the cusp of Australian swimming immortality, let’s take a moment to learn more about the person who laid the path for her to walk upon.

Kaylee McKeown’s sister, Tylor McKeown’s, early life and background

A resident of Queensland, Taylor McKeown took up swimming at the tender age of 9. From the very beginning, Taylor showed signs of reaching the highest level of swimming, and she also considered herself to be incredibly competitive in nature. “I am naturally a competitive person so every sport I tried that I wasn’t good at just meant that I had to try again at something else,” Taylor stated about her iron will, which makes her keep pushing.

The reigning Olympic backstroke champion Kaylee’s elder sister has touched base on a number of different activities, including piano, softball, dance, and tennis, before ultimately finding her calling in swimming. And there, she grabbed glory by its scruff.

Taylor McKeown’s swimming career highlights

According to the Australian Olympic Committee, At just 15, Taylor McKeown made a splash by winning her first national titles in the 100m and 200m breaststroke, marking the start of her impressive career. By 2014, she was making waves on a bigger stage at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, where she claimed gold in the 200m breaststroke with a time of 2:22.36.

Her talent continued to shine at the 2015 World Championships in Kazan, where she narrowly missed the finals in both individual breaststroke events but earned a bronze in the 4x100m medley relay. The following year, at her first Olympics in Rio, Taylor and the Aussie team took silver in the 4x100m medley relay with a time of 3:55.00.

She finished 5th in the 200-meter breaststroke final with a time of 2:22.435 and 11th in the 100-meter breaststroke. Despite struggling with a knee injury and a coaching change in 2018, Taylor made a strong comeback in 2019 by winning the 200m breaststroke at the Australian Trials, just missing out on the 2019 FINA World Championships. Taylor’s journey from a young national champ to a seasoned swimming star left a lasting legacy in the sport. Reflecting on this journey, let’s get to know when and why she retired!

When did Kaylee McKeown’s sister retire from swimming?

Taylor McKeown announced her retirement from competitive swimming after wrapping up her career at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, where she finished sixth in the 200-meter breaststroke final. Her decision came after a series of challenging years. In 2018, she struggled with a knee injury and had to undergo surgery, and the subsequent years brought further difficulties, including her father’s battle with brain cancer, which he lost in 2020.

Despite these hurdles, Taylor made a strong comeback in 2022, qualifying for the Commonwealth Games with a notable performance at Australian Nationals. After retiring from competitive swimming, Taylor McKeown ticked off a major bucket list item by racing at the Queensland LC Preparation Meet.

While Kaylee was also expected to participate in the 200-meter backstroke race here, she ultimately withdrew, giving her sister the right to boast a special feat for as long as they’d live. “…technically I won my last ever race against Kaylee…. In a 200 back,” joked Taylor in a later interview.

However, despite the chuckle, Taylor remains one of the biggest cheerleaders for Kaylee on her quest to defend her two gold medals. While her own career has ended, Taylor will surely be cheering for her sister for the Paris Games. But will that be enough to help Kaylee retain her top spot? We’ll have to wait just a few more days for the answer.