Australian swimmer Kaylee McKeown clocked the fourth fastest time in the 400m individual medley

Australian swimmer Kaylee McKeown clocked the fourth fastest time in the 400m individual medley, but she has said she has no intention of competing in the event at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

“No”, she replied succinctly when asked if she would swim the event during the Olympic qualifiers in Australia in June. “I did it and I’m happy. It’s good to be able to challenge yourself”, said Kaylee McKeown.

Kaylee McKeown, 22, who holds the world records in three backstroke events – 50m, 100m and 200m – showed her versatility at the Queensland Australian Swimming Championships, setting an impressive time of 4:28.22 min. She broke the Australian record set by Stephanie Rice at the Beijing 2008 Olympics, going almost 6 seconds faster than anyone else that year.

Only Summer McIntosh (Canada), who holds the world record of 4:25.87 min, and Katinka Hosszu (Hungary) have been faster than her.

The achievement comes just a day after Kaylee McKeown became the fifth woman to finish the 200m individual medley in under 2:07 min, also beating Stephanie Rice’s Australian record.