"Struggled mentally post-Olympics"- Kaylee McKeown makes honest confession about life after winning the gold medal in Paris

Kaylee McKeown recently confessed the mental health struggles she underwent after the Paris Olympics. The Australian also opened up about her mindset for the upcoming swimming season.

McKeown had a successful run at the 2024 Summer Games, winning five medals. She won her first medal in the 100m backstroke, where she defended her title by clocking an impressive Olympic record of 57.33s besting Regan Smith and Katherine Berkoff, who claimed second and third place, respectively. Along with this, she swam another Olympic record in the 200m backstroke and clinched gold by posting a time of 2:03.73.

Following this, she also competed in the 200m Individual Medley, where she won the bronze medal, and then also contributed in the women's 4x100m medley, where her team won a silver medal, and in the mixed 4x100m mixed medley event, where her team nabbed a bronze medal. Despite this stellar performance in the quadrennial event, Kaylee McKeown opened up about her mental health struggles in her recent Q&A sessions on Instagram.

One of her fans asked her a question about how she felt after coming back to the pool, to which the Aussie replied that she struggled post the Paris Olympics and had taken a 3 months hiatus to reflect on her thoughts and then exuded excitement to get back in the water.

"I struggled mentally post Olympics and took a step back from the swimming world, I really needed to feel my thoughts and acknowledged my achievements and struggles. I've been out of the water for 3 months and feel refreshed and rejuvenated... most importantly EXCITED!" wrote Kaylee McKeown.

McKeown's Instagram story

Kaylee McKeown revealed being lonely after Paris Olympics achievements

Swimming - Olympic Games Paris 2024: Day 8 - Source: Getty

In September 2024, just a month after the Paris Olympics, Kaylee McKeown spoke about her mental health in a Q&A session she did on Instagram. She opened up about her Paris Olympic exploits and then revealed that she was back home after the competition and had no training routine, making her feel lonely and goalless. When one of her fans asked how her life has been after Paris, she replied:

"It's been extremely hard coming from such a high pressure environment, I did more than I thought I could ever achieve in Paris. Riding the wave of success and enjoyment has a come down at some point! Since coming home I've felt very empty and lonely. I'm such a routine oriented person so to now be home and have no current goals, no training schedule- it's been a reality check," wrote Kaylee McKeown.

Kaylee McKeown has now won a total of nine Olympic medals in her career, which includes 5 gold medals, 1 silver medal, and three bronze medals. She won three gold medals in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and two in Paris.