Maggie Mac Neil Plans Paris Olympics as Final Games

Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

Maggie Mac Neil Plans Paris Olympics as Final Games

Maggie Mac Neil is positioning the 2024 Paris Olympics as her final Games, she revealed in an interview with CBC Sports on Wednesday.

The reigning gold medalist in the women’s 100 butterfly turned 24 this week. She is in line to make her second Olympic appearance in Paris this summer, and she’s preparing as though it’ll be her last.

“I haven’t decided on a firm end date, but I know I’m not going another quad,” Mac Neil said. “I’ve never wanted to (compete) to 2028. I want to go to law school in the next couple of year. I’ve accomplished more than I ever wanted in swimming and by doing that, I would be happy if I retired now.”

Mac Neil is the owner of three Olympic medals, with gold in the 100 fly, silver in the women’s 400 free relay and bronze in the women’s 400 medley relay. She’s the Americas record holder in the 100 fly, and a three-time world record holder in the short-course pool, in the 50 backstroke and 100 fly. She has won eight career long-course World Championships medals – including gold in the 100 fly in 2019 and silver in 2023 – and 11 short-course Worlds medals (seven gold). She also won the 100 fly among five medals at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

That summer, Mac Neil made a bold decision to eschew individual events at the World Championships, only swimming relays as a mental refresh. It led to her success at the Commonwealth Games and the next Worlds.

That’s in addition to a stellar NCAA career, first at the University of Michigan, then at LSU. The native of London, Ontario, is training in Baton Rouge for Paris, where she’s completing her master’s degree in sports management.

Mac Neil will finish her studies in early May, ahead of Canadian Trials in Montreal from May 13-19. She’s undecided on when or where law school will take her.

Read the full interview here.

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