As the village transitions to party mode, the 27-year-old would have been the centre of attention as she walked around Tokyo with seven medals around her neck.

At the end of it, she'd proudly carry the Australian flag at the closing ceremony and cement her place in our nation's sporting folklore.

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But this isn't a normal year and McKeon is likely to miss out on the opportunity to revel in the greatest performance by a female at a single Games. Of any nationality.

McKeon has achieved a feat one other woman has managed in Olympic history.

The 27-year-old joins Maria Gorokhovskaya as the only two females to win seven medals at a single Games.

The Soviet gymnast finished with two gold and five silver medals in 1952. McKeon claimed four gold and three bronze in Tokyo.

The push for the Illawarra talent to carry the flag at the closing ceremony has started and Cate Campbell said she deserves the opportunity to remain in Japan until Sunday night.

"It is an incredible honour and my vote is for Emma to carry the flag," Campbell said. "It's obviously not my decision, but she is an incredible young athlete, an incredible woman and a really good friend.

"Even if she can't because of the COVID situation, she's got my vote."

McKeon can thank Campbell for one of Sunday's gold medals, the four-time Olympian producing an outstanding anchor leg to bring Australia home in the women's 4x100m medley relay.

The race came shortly after McKeon completed the 50m-100m freestyle double.

The 27-year-old took out the sprint event in an Olympic record time of 23.81 seconds.

The two gold medals took McKeon to four for the meet, the most by an Australian at a single Games.

She now has five in total, drawing level with Australian legend Ian Thorpe.

The Illawarra talent surpassed Thorpe and Leisel Jones on the list of the country's most successful Olympians. McKeon now sits two clear of the pair on 11 medals.

Speaking in commentary, Thorpe was in awe of the swimmer's achievements.

"This has been Emma McKeon's meet," Thorpe said on Channel 7. "She's been dominant, she's been brilliant, she's been fantastic.

"She skips across the water in a way that we don't often see, she's quite slight in her physicality, but the way she's able to move through the water is impressive."

McKeon has always held a unique place in the Australian swim team.

Quiet and reserved, she has stayed out of the spotlight as the likes of Campbell and Ariarne Titmus have stolen the headlines.

That has allowed McKeon to fly under the radar at times, but the hunger and desire to win has always been just as strong as her Australian teammates.

With her meet over, the swimmer allowed her guard to come down slightly on Sunday afternoon to reveal just how much it means to have so much success.

"I don't usually say things like this, but I came here and I wanted to win gold," McKeon said. "I wanted to come here and win and that's what Bohly (coach Michael Bohl) and I worked so hard for and what we had our eyes on.

"For it to be finished and I've got four of them, I can't believe it."