Following the recent retirements of Bronte Campbell and Ariarne Titmus, Kaylee McKeown is the latest Australian professional swimmer to announce her intention to retire.
The nine-time Olympic medalist (five of which were gold) was set to make her final appearance at the Commonwealth Games, taking place this year in Glasgow.
“You never know when it’s going to be your last. The last Commonwealth could have been my last,” Kaylee told AAP as reported by 7News. “After LA, I’m going to take some time off and probably think about what I want to do. I’m not putting something out of the question at all. I just need the time off. I’ve been doing this for a very long time now. Well, it feels like a long time. I just need the mental refresh.”
However, she shared an update on her social media that “Glandular got me good.” The star swimmer has been struck with glandular fever and has had to pull out of the upcoming Games.
“Bit rude really,” she says of her illness.
Despite her illness and her intention to retire, Kaylee confirmed that she plans to participate in the 2028 LA Olympic Games, which would likely be her last.
“I promise I’ll be back when my body lets me,” she ends her update.
Kaylee will miss out on representing Australia on home soil for the Brisbane 2032 Olympics. However, since she’s intending to retire, she may, like her former teammate Bronte Campbell, keep going. Bronte had considered retiring after the Tokyo Olympics. However, she went on to swim for Australia at the Paris Olympics.
“I didn’t know Paris would be my last Games,” Bronte told me ahead of her retirement announcement. “I still love racing, I still love the art of perfecting and constantly trying to get faster. But do I want it enough to sacrifice in so many other parts of my life? That’s the question that has taken 18 months to answer.”
As professional athletes, Kaylee McKeown, Bronte Campbell, and Ariane Titmus put their bodies on the line. It’s a whole way of living to leave behind.
As mentioned, Kaylee has qualified for the 2026 Commonwealth Games, but will not compete due to illness. Kaylee’s debut at the Commonwealth Games was back in 2018. This year would have been the 24-year-old’s third Games.
She was heading to Glasgow to defend her records after she dominated the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, where she claimed gold in both the 100m and 200m backstroke and set Games records in each event. Along with her teammates, she posed in the team’s new gear at Sydney Harbour, which she shared on her socials.
Currently, Kaylee holds the world record for 50m and 200m backstroke (both in long-course 50m pool) and 100m and 200m backstroke in short-course 25m pool. She lowered the short-course 200m backstroke world record twice in October 2025, ultimately taking it down to 1:57.53.
Kaylee McKeown is also the first woman to win Olympic gold in both the 100m and 200m backstroke at consecutive Olympic Games, accomplishing the double in both Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024. She was also the first Australian to win four individual gold medals at the Olympics.
For a period, Kaylle simultaneously held all three long-course backstroke world records (50m, 100m and 200m), making her only the second swimmer in history to achieve that feat. Although she no longer owns the 100m long-course record, she remains widely regarded as one of the greatest backstrokers the sport has seen.
Find out more about the Commonwealth Games here.
