Kaylee McKeown sends warm birthday wishes to teammate Mollie O'Callaghan

Swimming - Commonwealth Games: Day 6 - Source: Getty — Kaylee McKeown and Mollie O'Callaghan at the Commonwealth Games: Day 6 - (Source: Getty)

Kaylee McKeown wished her fellow Australian swimmer Mollie O’Callaghan on her birthday on April 1, 2025. Both swimmers racked up multiple golds in the 2024 Games and sat out of the remaining season to take a mental break.

Kaylee McKeown made history at the Paris Games as the first woman to defend both 100m and 200m backstroke titles in the second consecutive Olympics. She was also part of the 200m medley relay and 200m individual medley, which earned her the silver and bronze. McKeown also helped her finish third in the mixed 4 × 100m medley relay event.

Following the victorious multi-day event, the 23-year-old announced her withdrawal from the 2024 World Short Course Championships, citing mental exhaustion. However, her 100m backstroke performance at the Australian Short Course Championship lowered the record time. She also clocked 25.40 to break the national record in the 50m backstroke.

Recently, the two-time Olympian shared a collage of her fellow Australian swimmer and Paris Olympian, Mollie O'Callaghan's pictures to wish her on her 21st birthday. The photos also featured the friends-turned-swimmers having fun in the pool and beyond.

"Happy 21st to my partner in crime," she wrote.

Kaylee McKeown wishes Mollie a birthday; Instagram - @kaylee_mckeown

O'Callaghan also shone in the Paris pool. She outpaced the most formidable Ariarne Titmus in the 200m freestyle event, clocking an Olympic record time of 1:53.27.

Mollie O'Callaghan once expressed how Kaylee McKeown played an integral role in her life

McKeown and Mollie at the 2023 Australian Swimming Championships - Day 2 Finals Session - (Source: Getty)

Mollie O'Callaghan competed at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics at the tender age of 17. She not only bagged gold medals but also set the junior world record time in the 4x200 freestyle relay. Continuing her excellence in the Olympic pool in Paris, the Australian medaled in the 200m freestyle and 4x100m freestyle relay.

Shortly after, in a candid conversation with Missy Franklin and Katie Hoff in the 'Unfiltered Waters' podcast, O'Callaghan shared that she confides in Kaylee McKeown besides receiving support from her coaches and family members.

"I think another person I've spoken to a lot who I think could relate with how I feel and the things I'm going through is probably Kaylee, just because she has experienced so much, but also achieved so much in her career and has gone through everything and anything. And I think she's probably one of the most headstrong people I've ever known as an athlete and I think I go to her as more as a mentor." (beginning 24:36)

Kaylee McKeown also swam the 200m backstroke in a world record-breaking time at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

About the author

Agnijeeta is a US Olympics journalist at Sportskeeda. She holds a Master’s degree in English and has worked as a school teacher, a blogger, a content writer and a sports writer over the past 5 years. A lover of high-adrenaline track and field events, she was also a sprinter during her school days.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone happens to be her favorite Olympian, and the athlete’s feat of breaking four records within 13 months inspires her, apart from the American's body language on and off the track. Grant Hackett swimming with a partially dysfunctional lung and winning gold in Athens is her all-time favorite Olympic moment.

Agnijeeta believes that deriving of unique angles from podcasts and interviews carried out by Olympics.com, along with hype-building of potential Olympic events on social media can help fill the coverage gap during the off season.

When not at her work desk, Agnijeeta likes to sing and paint. She also plays string instruments like guitar and ukulele and is an avid player of word puzzles.

Know More

Edited by Mitali