She has the spotlight firmly placed on her, but Emma McKeon insists she feels relaxed and as "motivated as ever" ahead of her third Commonwealth Games campaign.
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The Wollongong swimmer took the world by storm at last year's Olympics by winning four gold and three medals in Tokyo. The haul made her McKeon the second person of any nationality to win seven medals at a Games, after Soviet gymnast Maria Gorokhovskaya achieved the feat in 1952.
Now, it's time for the follow-up act in Birmingham.
More history beckons for McKeon. The eight-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist - won four apiece at Glasgow in 2014 and Gold Coast in 2018 - is closing in on striking distance of fellow swimmers Ian Thorpe, Leisel Jones and Susie O'Neill's Australian record of 10 Comm Games gold medals.
This year's Games start on Friday (AEDT), with the 28-year-old kicking off her campaign that night with mixed 4x100m freestyle relay and 100m butterfly heats.
McKeon - who took the unusual road to Birmingham by taking three months off swimming in 2022 - knows all eyes will be on her in the pool. However, the Illawarra talent embraces the challenge.
"I think I deal with pressure pretty well, most of the time I only feel the pressure from myself," McKeon said.
"I took three months off so it was physical rest, but mentally as well. I needed to recover emotionally and have some time where I wasn't so goal orientated all the time. So that was really nice, and I've been able to come back more motivated.
"I don't like to race unless I'm well prepared and at the top of my game, so hopefully I can race at my best in Birmingham. I know I can keep going faster and keep improving, so that's what motivates me every day."
However, McKeon won't be the only Aussie swimmer feeling the heat in Birmingham. With the likes of Ariarne Titmus and Kaylee McKeon also lining up, the Dolphins are expected to scoop the medal pool.
For McKeon, the Games will feel different to her past two experiences in 2014 and 2018. It will be her first Comm Games campaign without brother David alongside her side, who retired from the sport in January 2021.
"I loved making those teams with David. 2014 was our first one together and it was the first time that we got individual medals on an international stage, so it has a lot of nice memories for me," she said. "But I'm excited to be back on the team."
I don't like to race unless I'm well prepared and at the top of my game.
- - Emma McKeon
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Joshua Bartlett
A sporting fanatic who is keen to promote all codes in the Illawarra and abroad. Mercury's chief football reporter.
A sporting fanatic who is keen to promote all codes in the Illawarra and abroad. Mercury's chief football reporter.
