Emma McKeon nearly quit swimming, now she is on the brink of all-time greatness | Kieran Pender

Australia’s quiet achiever needs one more Commonwealth Games gold to surpass Susie O’Neill, Leisel Jones and Ian Thorpe

With the benefit of hindsight, it may seem that Australian swimmer Emma McKeon was always destined for greatness. The 28-year-old was born into swimming royalty: her father, Ron McKeon, is a former Olympian and four-time Commonwealth Games champion in middle-distance freestyle, while mum Susie McKeon and uncle Rob Woodhouse also swam for Australia. For decades the McKeon family have operated a swimming school in the Illawarra, and McKeon junior was in the water before she could walk.

But McKeon’s glittering career – three days into the 2022 Commonwealth Games she is on the brink of all-time greatness – was almost over before it began. A decade ago, at 17, McKeon was a rising star. At the 2012 national championships in Adelaide, which doubled as the trial event for the London Olympics, McKeon was hopeful of qualifying for the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay.