Paris Olympics 2024: Australia’s Kaylee McKeown claims bronze after USA swimmer Alex Walsh disqualified

Kaylee McKeown has jagged a bronze medal and kept her record-breaking Olympics rolling in the 200m individual medley after American swimmer Alex Walsh was disqualified for an illegal turn.

Canadian teen sensation Summer McIntosh won the gold medal in a strong late push to swim over the top of a flagging Walsh, with fellow United States swimmer Kate Douglass’ bronze medal later upgraded to silver.

It was one of two bronze medals Australia claimed in the pool on Sunday morning (AWST), with Mollie O’Callaghan’s final freestyle leg holding on to third place in the the mixed 4x100m medley relay.

Walsh was found to have flipped her body before touching the wall between the backstroke and breaststroke legs and was disqualified moments after the finish.

A worn-out looking McKeown had been set to miss the medals, touching the wall fourth with a time 2.08:08 after a stacked meet where she has already defended both her 100m and 200m backstroke titles.

McKeown led the field in the butterfly leg but the world’s best backstroke swimmer instead chose to conserve energy in that part of the race, rather than putting a gap on the field.

It means the Queenslander, who has etched her name in swimming history in Paris, missed an opportunity to join Shane Gould as just the second Australian to win three individual golds at one Olympics.

McKeown finished seventh-fastest out of Saturday morning’s (AWST) semifinal in a tired-looking swim just minutes after she defender her 200m backstroke crown.

Compatriot Ella Ramsey, who qualified eighth, was forced to pull out with COVID.

Australia elected to swim backstroke queen Kaylee McKeown as its lead-off and O’Callaghan to bring home the relay, with Western Australia’s Josh Yong swimming breaststroke and Matthew Temple the butterfly.

They finished third with a time of 3.38:78, but were well-beaten by a world record-breaking United States and second-placed China.

Australia’s Shayna Jack is in the frame for a third medal at her first Olympics, qualifying for the final of the women’s 50m freestyle, but the favourite for gold has laid down an imposing marker.

Jack finished third in her semifinal on Sunday morning (AWST) behind Poland’s Katarzyna Wasick and Chinese star Zhang Yufei. with a time 0.09 faster than her heat swim. Fellow Aussie Meg Harris also qualified out of the other semi.

But in a strong sign for her showdown with 100m freestyle champion, Swedish veteran Sarah Sjoestroem in Monday morning, Jack appeared to glide towards the wall.

Sjoestroem broke an Olympic record with a 23.66-second effort in the same semi Harris finished third in, split by American threat Gretchen Walsh.

Jack already has gold medals from both the 4x100m and 4x200m freestyle relays earlier in the meet, which is her first Games, after a drug ban wiped her out of the Tokyo Olympics.

It comes just a day after Aussie Cam McEvoy broke Australia’s gold medal duck in the race, winning a thrilling swim from Great Britain’s Ben Proud.

Sjoestroem and McEvoy are both 30 year olds.

After waiting seven days to qualify and eight days for the final of the 100m butterfly, Australian Matthew Temple finished seventh, despite a strong start in an even field.

Hungary’s Kristof Milak hunted down 21-year-old Canadian Josh Liendo in the final metres, after the pair went over the top of French hero Maxime Grousset.

Fellow Canadian Ilya Kharun won bronze with a personal best time.