"This is why swimmers don't have hobbies" - Kaylee McKeown reveals concerning update after suffering an injury during surfing

Kaylee McKeown faced a setback while surfing and highlighted why swimmers don't take up other sports as hobbies to avoid injuries. McKeown came fresh off her Olympic victory and world record-breaking feat at the Australian Championships.

Kaylee McKeown had a successful Paris Olympic campaign, winning the 100m backstroke and 200m backstroke gold in Olympic records. With her effort, she became the first woman in history to win both titles at consecutive Games. She also added the 4x100m medley relay silver and the 200m individual medley bronze to her Olympic medal tally.

McKeown then made waves at the Australian Short Course Championships, setting a new short course global mark in the 100m backstroke. Enjoying downtime, the 23-year-old shifted her focus to another watersport, surfing, but faced a setback that could be an obstruction during swims.

In her Instagram story, Kaylee McKeown showed the open slit injury on her back while fellow swimmer Jamie Jack stood with the surfboard.

"This is why swimmers don't have hobbies,"

She also wrote:

"Battle scars"

Kaylee McKeown shows her scar from surfing; Instagram - @kaylee_mckeown

McKeown's Paris Olympic bronze medal in the 200m individual medley came after US swimmer Alex Walsh botched by improperly transitioning from backstroke to breaststroke.

In her debut Olympic stint in Tokyo, she won her first 100m and 200m backstroke titles and swam the backstroke leg on the women's medley team that soared to victory.

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Kaylee McKeown left her plans of returning to the 2028 LA Olympic pool in the air

Kaylee McKeown posing with her 100m backstroke gold at the Olympic Games Paris 2024: (Source: Getty)

The five-time Olympic gold medalist, Kaylee McKeown, received the 'Best Swimmer of the Year' award after taking all three backstroke titles in the three World Cup legs in 2023. She continued her excellence in the Paris pool but didn't confirm her presence at the next Olympic edition in Los Angeles in 2028.

In a conversation with Unfiltered Water Podcast, the 23-year-old expressed:

"You can't be greedy um so that's been really hard to like deal with that and then decide, 'Okay, am I in my peak now? Like you just get all these extra little thoughts. So, I'm really trying to focus on just relaxing myself and being okay in the present moment and not thinking about 2028, thinking about how am I going to continue this longevity in the sport for another four years. Last Olympics, I said to myself that this was going to be my last Olympics and now I'm sitting here. I'm like, I want more. I'm still enjoying it, I love swimming so why wouldn't I keep doing it!" (12:23 onwards)

In 2020, the Australian swimmer lowered the world record for the first time in the short course 200m backstroke.