Emma McKeon Wins Top Gong At The Australian Swimmer Of The Year Awards On The Gold Coast
Tokyo’s queen of the pool Emma McKeon has tonight joined a who’s who of Australian swimming’s greats after being named the Olympic Program Swimmer of The Year on the Gold Coast.
The 27-year-old McKeon beat fellow dual individual Olympic gold medallists Ariarne Titmus and Kaylee McKeown in a red hot field of finalists with the winners all unveiled at the Swimming Australia Awards, at the RACV Royal Pines Resort and supported by the City of Gold Coast.
In almost any other year Titmus or McKeown, as triple gold medallist as Stephanie Rice was in 2008, would take Swimming Australia’s most prestigious Olympic Program award.
GOLDEN WAVE: Emma McKeon riding a golden wave in the pool. Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).
But not for 2021 with McKeon’s record haul of seven medals – four gold and three bronze – the most successful athlete in Tokyo across all sports makes her top dog.
And together with her four medals from Rio in 2016 McKeon stands aloft of both Ian Thorpe and Leisel Jones as Australia’s greatest-ever Olympic medallist with 11.
McKeon becomes the 13th female since the inaugural award was made in 1989 to Glen Housman – names which include three-time winner Cate Campbell and dual winners Susie O’Neill, Emily Seebohm and Alicia Coutts.
McKeon has certainly enjoyed the spoils of her victorious Games – named Swimming World’s Female Swimmer of the Year; made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the New Year’s Honours List and nominated along with Australian tennis ace Ash Barty as a finalist in the prestigious Laureus 2022 Sportswoman of the Year.
WILL TO WIN: Australian Paralympic Program Swimmer of The Year Will Martin. Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).
And amongst a host of winners joining McKeon was Paralympic Program Swimmer of the Year Will Martin – a triple Tokyo gold medallist in a spectacular Paralympic debut for the 21-year-old Queenslander.
Martin, who suffered a stroke in 2007 and took up swimming to help with his rehabilitation, won the 400m freestyle in a Paralympic record time on the opening night and later smashed his own world record in the 100m butterfly – adding his third god in Australia’s world record breaking 4x100m freestyle relay team.
In just reward and recognition for their work, both McKeon and Martin’s coaches were also recognised as Michael Bohl and David Proud took home the Olympic and Paralympic Program Coach of the Year award respectively.
The Sunshine Coast’s Kareena Lee’s achievements were celebrated as she was named Open Water Program Swimmer of the Year after becoming the first Australian to claim a medal in Olympic marathon swimming – taking home bronze after a gruelling 10km race.
BRONZED AUSSIE: Kareena Lee named Australia’s Open Water Program Swimmer of the Year. Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).
Lee’s veteran coach, John Rodgers, who transformed his charge into one of the best marathon swimmers in the world, was named Open Water Program Coach of the Year – a remarkable coaching achievement by the 81-year-old “JR.”
St Peters Western head coach Dean Boxall was crowned Youth Coach of the Year after another highly successful year, including guiding 17-year-old Mollie O’Callaghan to Tokyo as the youngest member of the Australian Olympic team where she broke the Junior World Record in the 200m freestyle, won two gold and one bronze medal as part of Australia’s successful relay teams.
Para athletes Ben Popham and Grant ‘Scooter’ Patterson beat a hotly contested field to share joint honours in the popular Swimmers’ Swimmer of the Year award, while fellow Paralympian Benjamin Hance was crowned the AIS Discovery of the Year after claiming a gold, silver and bronze medal on his Paralympic debut in Tokyo.
Swimming Australia CEO, Eugénie Buckley, said the awards were a perfect underline to an outstanding campaign.
“The legacy of the historic achievements of our Olympic and Paralympic teams in Tokyo will inspire generations of Australians into the pool,” Buckley said.
“While our award winners tonight are certainly most deserving, everyone in the room should be proud of the role they played in one of the most successful and significant years our sport has ever experienced.”
Other winners in the 2021 Swimming Australia Awards honours list included Lori Wilson who was named as the Roger Smith Technical Official of the Year; Wests Illawarra Aquatic Swim Club crowned APV Club of the Year and Taree Torpedoes Treasurer, Ian Smith, recognised as the Local legend of the year.
A celebration fitting of the achievements in Tokyo would not have been possible without the support of the Gold Coast City Council.
Mayor Tom Tate said it was a pleasure to host such an important event.
“We are all still brimming with excitement from what our amazing Paralympic and Olympic swimmers achieved in Tokyo,’’ said Mayor Tate.
“To host these awards in our city is another chance for us to showcase the Gold Coast as a place to train, race, relax and recover.”
GLAMOUR GIRLS: 2022 Tokyo Dolphins (L-R) Jess Hansen,Emma McKeo, Emily Seebohm, Jess Strauch. Photo Courtesy: Emma McKeon (Instagram).:
2021 Swimming Australia Swimmer of the Year Award winners
Olympic Program Swimmer of the Year – Emma McKeon (Griffith University)
Paralympic Program Swimmer of the Year – Will Martin (Nudgee College Swimming)
Open Water Program Swimmer of the Year – Kareena Lee (Noosa)
Olympic Program Coach of the Year – Michael Bohl (Griffith University)
Paralympic Program Coach of the Year – David Proud (Nudgee College Swimming)
Open Water Program Coach of the Year – John Rodgers (Noosa)
Youth Coach of the Year – Dean Boxall (St Peters Western)
Swimmers’ Swimmer – Ben Popham (Arena Swim Club) and Grant ‘Scooter’ Patterson (Central Cairns)
AIS Discovery of the Year – Benjamin Hance (USC Spartans)
Roger Smith Technical Official of the Year – Lori Chaplin (Southern Cross Swimming Club, Queensland)
APV Club of the Year – Wests Illawarra Aquatic Swim Club
Local Legend of the Year – Ian Smith, Treasurer Taree Torpedoes