Mckeon Swimming Photos by Getty Images

Emma McKeon is one newbie swimmer who may well have a London-bound formula.

Over the past four years, we’ve been introduced to a legion of young swimmers dedicated to winning our next bucket of Olympic gold. Australia’s 2012 qualifying meet will see this new crop fighting a bunch of rejuvenated veterans for a chance in London. Emma McKeon is one newbie who may well have a London-bound formula.

Emma Who?

The name McKeon is synonymous with Wollongong’s Saturday morning swim school scene. A handful of others might remember her dad Ron McKeon’s two Olympic appearances in the ‘80s. Everyone else, meet 17-year-old Emma. Shy, but “an assassin when she competes” according to Australian head coach Leigh Nugent, McKeon has the ability to be Australia’s next freestyle sprint star. When? This month, she hopes, although, as Ron explains: “I think a lot of athletes can get a little too caught up and forget to enjoy the meet, especially if they‘re young.”

Ron and his wife Susie founded the McKeon Swim School in Wollongong in the ‘80s, pre-kids. “My Mum and Dad swam for Australia, and they knew it was important for me to learn how to swim,” says Emma. “I just kept enjoying it, the social side. I first made it to state schools when I was in year six.” McKeon’s uncle, Rob Woodhouse, is an Olympic medallist and current Australian swim selector (but steps out when a McKeon file is opened). These mentors know swimming careers are too short not to have fun. To enjoy their time in competition is all they hope for Emma, her brother David and youngest sister Kaitlin. “There’s not really competition,” says Emma of her relationships with her siblings. “We just support each other.”

If enjoyment fills one vial of the McKeon family success concoction, perspective fills another. It was the Singapore and Beijing legs of the FINA World Cup, November 2011. Among the competitors were Olympic medallist Libby Trickett, Olympian Cate Campbell and Swedish national champ Therese Alshammar. In two 50m and two 100m freestyles, McKeon won three gold and a bronze. In those performances, Trickett observed a girl capable of separating “the person” from “the swimmer” ‒ a key to longevity. “She was always so humble in her wins,” says Trickett.

“Everyone asks, ‘What was it like swimming in an Olympic pool?’” says McKeon of swimming at Beijing’s Water Cube. “Standing on those blocks was cool, but it’s just like, ‘A pool’s a pool.’”

What’s her story?

Aged 11, McKeon attended an age championship meet at which Nugent was scouting. “She was quite tall even back then and had a very, very good temperament for a young swimmer ... so we targeted her.” McKeon developed with her age group, attending national camps and comps.

Her break-out year arrived in 2010. At the Youth Olympics she won gold, silver and two bronze medals, including a 100m freestyle PB. At the junior Pan Pacs she met similar success. But her head started to spin following a three-week altitude training camp in Mexico the following January. Back home, she approached her old man: “If I’m going to keep competing into the future, I need a break.”

“I answered, ‘Absolutely,’” Ron McKeon recalls. Emma returned six months later on her own terms. Perhaps it’s this maturity that will take her from outside chance to booming success this month. “What I like about Emma is she’s a quiet achiever. She goes about doing what she needs to do,” says Trickett.

Who’s she like?

McKeon may be paddling in Trickett’s wake (she’s a year younger than Trickett was when she made her first youth team and national team) but, long and lean, she bears little physical resemblance to the 27-year-old veteran. McKeon uses every inch of her 176cm wingspan to propel her streamlined body. Says Nugent: “She reminds me of Jodie Henry; a very quiet, reserved person ... and a magnificent technician.”

What Do They Say?

*"Not only is she talented, she can put together a great race in the midst of some good compettition. She's not scared of people, which i think is a really important trait to have, particularly at her age. She doesn't let worry or doubts creep into her mind; she just sort of does and comes up with amazing results."

-Libby Trickett, Olympic Gold Medallist

*"My goal for her is to compete through the nest quadrennial and represent australia at Rio in 2016 Games and be a real leader of our team."

-Leigh Nugent, Australian Head Coach

*"What i'm noticing at the gym at the moment is that her proprioception is high; she is very much aware of where her body is in space. Her technique's improving a lot. There's less need for physical manipulation with her body position. She's definitely moving in the right direction."

-Stuart Gadd,Assistant Trainer

‒ Keiran Deck