The Canberra Times sits down with Australia's most decorated Olympian and 2024 Young Australian of the Year, Emma McKeon AM, for a live digital subscriber exclusive Q&A session on her journey, experiences and advice to budding athletes - Up Close!
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00:00Well, good afternoon everyone.
00:11Thanks for joining us Emma.
00:12How are you feeling today?
00:13You've had a few things on, are you still feeling excited and basking in the glow of
00:17Paris or?
00:18Yeah.
00:19Excited about Paris?
00:20Yeah, still.
00:21I mean, it was only four weeks ago now, so yeah, had some time to relax, but thanks for
00:27having me everyone.
00:28No worries.
00:30This is a little bit unusual for Sally and I, because you've probably done more of these.
00:34We're usually behind a computer typing on a keyboard rather than using a microphone
00:38or being on camera, but we did do a whip around the office to work out who was the most qualified.
00:44Emma, your 50 metre freestyle personal best is 23.
00:48Eight, I think.
00:5023.8.
00:51I'm about two and a half minutes, Sal.
00:53Yeah, I'd say more like three to five.
00:56So clearly the best people to be having this conversation with Emma, but we're going to
01:01run through some questions and obviously since that video was done, Emma has competed in
01:06Paris.
01:07That was done at the start of this year, and as John Paul mentioned at the start, the tally
01:11is 14 Olympic medals, six gold, three silver, five bronze.
01:16The most decorated Olympic athlete in Australian history.
01:20And on top of that, I think about 14 Commonwealth Games gold medals, a five time world champion
01:25and earlier this year named the Young Australian of the Year.
01:28So plenty of accolades there for you.
01:30But we're going to start, Emma's done a few of these before and already done a couple
01:34of them today.
01:35So we thought we'd start with something a little bit different because Emma's from Wollongong.
01:42Still living up in Queensland.
01:43Yep, living up in Queensland at the moment, but in Wollongong is the Illawarra Mercury,
01:47which is one of our sister papers.
01:49And part of the benefits of being in a smaller town is that you're able to cover athletes
01:55and people from a younger age.
01:56So we might whack up a couple of photos, Emma, and just talk through some of them from when
02:02this one was.
02:03Do you remember this one?
02:04I don't remember it.
02:05Yeah.
02:06So that one was actually 1999.
02:07So I think you were five years old at the Wollongong Carols by Candlelight.
02:12Is that something you and your family went to every year?
02:15I heard David sort of saying it wasn't something you guys did or?
02:19We must have.
02:22Not to memory.
02:23I mean, we were pretty young, so yeah.
02:27All right.
02:28On to the next one, Jack.
02:29We've got one from 2009.
02:31Do you remember this one at all?
02:32Well, we grew up in Mount Kembla, so they did like a ... There's a mine up the top of
02:38Mount Kembla, so they opened it up for the day and did a bit of a tour for the locals.
02:42So we did a little mining tour.
02:44Chose a career in swimming rather than mining.
02:46Like it.
02:47Next one, Jack.
02:50Got here with Jarrod Port.
02:51Jarrod Port.
02:52Yeah, we went to school together and trained together.
02:54Yeah, that's I think probably year 12.
02:58Yeah, well, 2011.
03:00I think this was just a year before you missed out on ... You went for the first London Olympics.
03:07When you were in this picture, were you starting to think about Olympics and that's where I
03:11want to be and that sort of thing?
03:12Yeah.
03:13Well, I always wanted to go to the Olympics.
03:15So yeah, I guess knowing that the London Olympic trials were going to be the next year, but
03:21actually through these later school years, I stopped and started swimming a lot.
03:26So yeah, I don't know if I was stopped or started right here.
03:33And Jarrod went on to become a two-time Olympian as well.
03:35Yeah, Jarrod made that 2012 Olympic team the following year with my brother.
03:40Yeah.
03:41Last one, Jack.
03:42This one just recently, obviously, on your return from Paris.
03:45Talk us through this moment.
03:46This was down on the Wollongong Promenade, is it?
03:49Yeah, down at the North Beach of Wollongong.
03:51I grew up doing nippers down there and in Wollongong is where I learned to swim, had
03:56all my early swimming days.
04:00And so yeah, it was a huge honor.
04:02They named the ... They built this promenade and they named it after me, which was such
04:05an honor and really special just because Wollongong is my home, my hometown and my
04:12family is still there and yeah, just so many great memories.
04:15So it was very, very special.
04:16Had all my family and friends here to celebrate this with me and yeah, it's cool.
04:22Oh, that's nice to have a walk down memory lane like that.
04:27So we're going to ask some questions now, enter some questions.
04:29We did ask our subscribers to submit questions as well, so we're going to weave some of those
04:33through as we go along.
04:34Now, if I could call out your name and your question and just give us a wave if you're
04:39in the room.
04:40So with that, I'm going to start with one that actually came from Brisbane.
04:44Someone called Ciara or Kiara and she wants to know, what's your fondest memory of swimming?
04:51There's so many.
04:56One would definitely be, so I miss that London Olympic team and my brother David and then
05:02Jared both went on there with my, obviously my squad mates and then good friends and brother.
05:08So I went over to watch them, but obviously didn't get to compete.
05:12And then 2016, making that Olympic team with my brother, that was probably one of the most
05:18special things.
05:19And I know something that I'll always be able to look back on and yeah, just something that
05:24means a lot.
05:25We both got to go there together, be on that Olympic team together and do what we had always
05:30dreamt of doing, which was going to the Olympics.
05:34I love that answer because I met David out the back there before, and which brings us
05:39to this next point, Jack, if you could play this video and Emma afterwards, we're just
05:44going to ask you a reaction.
05:45I'll just set the scene.
05:46This was from the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo, which we'll all remember.
05:51We were all at home, COVID lockdown, Emma getting all of her medals while wearing a
05:56mask.
05:57But yeah, we'll just watch this video and we'll have a chat afterwards.
06:57So, I'm not sure if you could hear that from Tokyo, but I'm pretty sure David was telling
07:08you to lift.
07:10I think that was for the hundred meter freestyle final, if I'm correct.
07:14You won gold in that one.
07:16How does it feel watching that?
07:17Because my next question was going to be about your family.
07:20And you're obviously such a big swimming family, both your mom and your dad and your brother.
07:25I'm not sure if your other sister.
07:27Yeah, she swam as well.
07:28Yeah.
07:29What's it like?
07:30Because you have that moment over there in Tokyo and they couldn't be there in the stands.
07:34What's it like seeing something like that?
07:36It's so special.
07:37I've watched that.
07:38I reckon I've watched my race once.
07:40I've watched that like many, many more times.
07:44Yeah, that's just one of my most favorite videos and most favorite Olympic.
07:49I mean, it's not obviously my memory, but it's something that is just so special.
07:58Yeah, obviously they couldn't be there, but I knew I could feel their support and I was
08:03keeping in contact with them.
08:04They're like, when I go away to the Olympics, I'll often try and turn off my social media,
08:09delete the apps and all that, but keep in contact with my family because they're my
08:14tightest support network and they know how I work and, you know, completely trust them
08:20because you kind of have to be careful about what you let in to your mind and things like
08:24that when you go away.
08:25But yeah, watching that video, it's just, I mean, I couldn't even get on FaceTime to
08:29them afterwards because they're all celebrating.
08:32I went through the call list, David, Dad, Mom, Caleb.
08:35No one was answering me once I got back to my bag.
08:38Well, I was going, is it now like a Christmas gathering party trick where you get around
08:43and you start doing that again and David's on the floor telling everyone to lift or is
08:46it, you know, it's only video only?
08:48Yeah, I think it's probably an in the moment type thing and all the emotion comes out,
08:52but it's also special because obviously both my parents swam, but also me and David did
08:59all our years of training together and he knew exactly what was going on and the moment
09:07and everything.
09:08So, you know, that's why you can see him being like that.
09:11And then you can see on the edge, that's David's wife and she's just kind of standing there
09:17like this.
09:18Like she hadn't really been around, you know, swimming and stuff before.
09:23So I think she didn't really know, you know, what was going on, but yeah, it was such a
09:28special video.
09:29I'm sure she would have got a rude shock there, but so we talked about your family, your mom
09:34and dad were swimmers, your brother's a swimmer, your sister was into it as well, your uncle.
09:38At what age did you sort of go, swimming's for me, like this is something that I'm willing
09:44to dedicate my life to?
09:47It kind of just happened naturally, I think.
09:49I guess I knew both my parents were swimmers, but they started a swim school and then obviously
09:56wanted me, my brother and my sister just to be safe in the water, learn how to swim.
10:00They loved the water and, you know, their life revolved around, you know, the beach
10:04and the pool and things like that.
10:06So they wanted us to be able to enjoy it just the same that they have been able to.
10:09So it was all about learning to swim and being safe in it so that we could enjoy it and then
10:14just went through all the levels and like everyone does, all the learn to swim levels
10:18and then went into squads and then got introduced to, you know, school swimming carnival, the
10:23local swimming carnivals and things like that.
10:26And at that young age, it was mostly like a social thing.
10:30It wasn't really quite the competitive side, but as I got older, that competitiveness
10:35kind of came out in me and, you know, trying to set personal best times and things like
10:40that and kind of just grew from there.
10:42But yeah, I think from the age of five, when I first watched the Olympics and at that age,
10:50I didn't really understand completely what the Olympics were, but being in Sydney, you
10:55feel the energy even at that young age and I really looked up to Susie O'Neill and just
11:03knew I wanted to be like her one day and it kind of, I guess that idea and that feeling
11:08just led on from there.
11:10Well, like on Susie, who's, you know, Madam Butterfly, we all love her and you obviously
11:15did Butterfly as well.
11:17What's it like hearing her on that video then talk in such high praise of you, one of your idols?
11:22How does that feel?
11:23Yeah, it's definitely very surreal.
11:25I watched, that's the video they played at the Australian of the Year Awards earlier
11:30in the year.
11:31And yeah, it's definitely a very surreal feeling to have her speak like that, yeah.
11:39And we'll go to a subscriber question now.
11:41So this one's Sally from Hughes.
11:42I'm not sure if Sally's in the room, hi Sally.
11:46If it wasn't for swimming, what would be your chosen sport?
11:50I don't know, I tried a lot of different sports when I was young.
11:55All through school I did, like I tried everything, swimming wasn't really my main thing, I was
12:00just the thing I was probably the best at, I wasn't very good at other things, but I
12:04tried basketball, I liked high jump through school, dancing, and then just tried out the,
12:11you know, touch football, netball, things like that.
12:13But if I wasn't a swimmer, I actually don't know what sport I'd be good at.
12:22Yeah, surfing would be good.
12:25I don't think I'd be good at it though.
12:26You'd probably be good at all of them, you're one of those people.
12:30Speaking of growing up, it always strikes me when I hear about the journey of someone
12:35like you, and you had to decide at an early age to really focus, you had to be so focused,
12:40like so focused, did you ever think, did you ever stop and wonder what it would be like
12:46to be a normal kid, like what you were missing out on, it must have been really hard to just
12:50put that aside.
12:51Yeah, through those teenage years, especially those like middle to late high school years
12:55I always just wanted to be doing the same thing that my friends were doing, and wanted
13:02to be able to say yes to things on the weekends, or after school, and different things like
13:08that, not miss the school camp, because there was a, I had the Youth Olympics on at the
13:12same time as the Year 10 school camp one year.
13:16Just things like that, that felt like I was missing out on, and just wanted to have a
13:20normal type schedule and things like that, and so I battled with that a lot throughout
13:25those years, and stopped and started swimming a lot throughout those years, and yeah, gradually
13:31I kind of just learnt that what I'm doing also does make me, I enjoy what I'm doing
13:38as well.
13:39Once I got over all the different things, like putting pressure on myself, and things
13:43that did lead me to not enjoy it, the basis of swimming and the social side and everything,
13:49I had a lot of fun.
13:51And then we get up to 2012, and you narrowly missed out the London Olympics selection,
13:59and then you made your debut in 2016, so what was that journey like between those two?
14:03Yeah, when I missed out on the London team, I decided to stop swimming, because I didn't
14:09want to wait another four years to go to the Olympics, and I knew deep down that I still
14:14really wanted to go to the Olympics, but I just couldn't wait another four years,
14:18and it just seemed too long for me, I didn't want to go through it, through all the training
14:24and things for another four years, and the pressure that I was putting on myself was
14:30just too much as well, so I decided to stop, and I stopped for a while, and was just finishing
14:36off year 12 and things like that, but gradually, like at first it was good, because I was able
14:43to say yes to all the fun things and go to the parties or, I don't know, say yes to going
14:49to the shops or whatever after school, just random things like that that I didn't like
14:54missing out on, but that quickly grew old, and missed my friends in swimming, but also
15:04missed having a goal that I was working really hard for and chasing after that, like whatever
15:12that goal was, and for me, that goal was still in me to go to the Olympics, and so, yeah,
15:19I missed just having a goal that I was working hard towards.
15:24It's interesting you talk about pressure, because like when you're in swimming mode,
15:30you seem pretty unflappable. I think there's only one time in an interview where I've seen
15:35you sort of, like your voice crack, which was after your last individual race in Paris.
15:40Are you actually more nervous doing stuff like this, or are you fine? Like, is this
15:44more daunting than being on the blocks at an Olympics?
15:48Sometimes it can be. I think, just different nerves, yeah.
15:54Because what is the pressure of an Olympics like? Like, everyone in this room would have
15:59been watching your races at some time or another. Everyone around the world is engaged in, in
16:05swimming for those two weeks, or the week of the swimming program. Like, what is the
16:10pressure of an Olympics like? Can you describe it?
16:12It's definitely very intense. I think, though, from my first Olympics, I have, and yeah,
16:22I think I've just been able to rise to the occasion of the Olympics, because, like I've
16:26always been able to perform my best at the Olympics, and that's actually really hard
16:30to do, because, you know, physically, you're as best prepared as you possibly can be. You
16:37know, a pool's a pool. You can, you know, they're all the same, so it's mental when
16:42it comes to the Olympics, and I think, in my mind, I'm like, I might not be back here
16:49again. This might be the last time I stand behind these blocks, so I am going to put
16:53all of that aside, the pressure of the moment and everything like that, and just get the
16:58absolute best out of myself, so I think doing that has gotten the best out of me, and it
17:05was actually before the 200 free in Rio, which was my first Olympics, and it was the final,
17:11and I was just so nervous, I didn't want to do, I didn't want to be there, and that was
17:18for the two days, the heats, the semis, and then the finals, and, you know, in my head,
17:23I'm thinking, oh, can the bus just break down, or can the, I don't know, the lights
17:28in the pool break, something happens, the whole thing gets cancelled, but it was at
17:34the last moment before I walked out for the final that I was just like, I might never
17:40be back here again, and at that point, I didn't think I'd go to another Olympics, so I was
17:44just like, let it all go, just dive in the pool, do what I've done a million times, and
17:49just see what I, see what happens, and so I think from that moment on, I've been able
17:53to do that in all my races at the Olympics, it's just, I guess, you definitely feel that
17:58pressure, but just let it go, and I think that's why I have gotten the best out of myself
18:02when it comes to the Olympics, because it is really hard to, you know, do quick times
18:08in that one moment.
18:11You had three very different Olympic experiences, Rio being Rio, Tokyo, the COVID Games, and
18:17then Paris, you went in knowing it was going to be your last Olympics, sort of, out of
18:22those ones, and when you combine all of those, and even your London experience when you went
18:26over as a spectator, what makes a great Olympics to you?
18:32I think, I mean, they're all different.
18:35People have asked me, especially at these Olympics, like, what's this in comparison
18:40to the other ones, is this one better, was there another one that's better, but they're
18:44all different, so there's not one that's better than the other, even with Tokyo, being,
18:51not having the crowds and everything like that, and having all the different restrictions
18:54and things like that, nothing was worse about that than there was about Rio or Paris.
19:00It was what it was, and it felt almost even more special because the fact that it was
19:06even on, I mean, you look at what the world was going through, and then you look at Japan,
19:12and they had to, there was nobody out on the streets, the roads were empty, they were
19:16all staying inside so that it could happen, so, like, that's so special, so, yeah, I don't
19:23think you can really compare, I mean, I can't compare Olympics to Olympics because they're
19:27all different from each other, they all show their country's, like, culture and everything
19:32like that, so they're all very unique.
19:35After saying that, Emma, think about that for a little bit, because at the end I'm going
19:39to ask you which one your favourite is.
19:43What's the village like?
19:44What's the athletes' village like?
19:45Can you give us a sense?
19:46Yeah, it's really cool.
19:47Everyone always asks about the beds, the beds are fine, it's just, like, you've got the
19:51cardboard base, it's as hard as, like, a wooden base that most people have, and just a mattress
19:57on top, so the beds are fine.
19:59The food hall is amazing, you've got all these different stations of, I don't know, different
20:05cuisines and things like that.
20:07I haven't been to an Olympics where there's been a McDonald's, so, disappointing.
20:14Usually there's a McDavid, went to the London one and there was actually McDonald's inside
20:18the food hall, so that was an option you could go to.
20:20I heard that we sent our own barista over.
20:23We had a barista, yeah, so they had one in Tokyo and everyone obviously loved it, being
20:29Australians, we love our good coffee, we're a bit snobby when it comes to coffee, I think.
20:35But yeah, then for Paris, I think that was one of the things that went into the surveys,
20:38like, we love the barista, so they had two baristas this time and got our coffees every
20:43morning.
20:44Happy to hear that, God, imagine.
20:49So here's a subscriber question, it's actually two people asked the same one, Peter from
20:53Canberra and Rob from Yass, I don't know if either of you are in here at the moment.
20:58Oh, there we go, yep.
21:02How did you keep pace with all your different events and how do you muster up the discipline
21:07to keep rising to the top?
21:10Just taking it like one race at a time, yeah.
21:14I can't think too far ahead, I've just got to think, like, if I'm doing a heat, what's
21:18my processes for this race and, I mean, in Tokyo it was going, like, seven out of ten,
21:28eight and a half out of ten, ten out of ten for the final.
21:31So just making it through those processes and, yeah, just not thinking too far ahead,
21:37just sticking to my routine, once I finish the race, get in the warm down, go home, rest,
21:41come back.
21:42Like, it's, yeah, you kind of go on autopilot.
21:45So for Tokyo, that was one of my biggest programs I've had and it's just, by the time, like,
21:53I didn't really get to celebrate too much each medal because I knew I had to keep my
22:00emotions in check and, you know, if you're going like this all the time, that's really
22:03exhausting.
22:05So by the time I got to the end of the week, I was just like, you know, you fall in a heap
22:08and you're just like, what have I just done?
22:10It was a very, very weird feeling.
22:14Yeah.
22:15And, you know, we keep saying it over and over again, you're Australia's greatest Olympian.
22:20So how does it feel to hear that, other people say that, and what does it actually mean?
22:25What does it mean to everyone and what does it mean to you?
22:29It's still, I think that'll probably never be something that sinks in, you know, and
22:34that's never something I had in my sights, I never knew what the stats were or anything
22:38like that.
22:39But yeah, when they told me that in Tokyo, and then again in Paris, it was like, yeah,
22:47still hasn't really sunk in.
22:48It's not something, yeah, I never dreamt of being that, I mean, obviously you want to
22:54be that good, but it's just like, very weird when it happens.
22:57Yeah.
22:58What do you think when you see that little five-year-old girl up there in the candlelight?
23:01Yeah.
23:02When I look back, and I think of like when I was 15 or something like that, it's just
23:08like, there's no way you could tell her what I was going to go on and do.
23:14But yeah, I think, yeah, it's a bit weird.
23:21It's really special though, like I know all the, everything that went into it and all
23:24the people that supported me to get there and it was a slow process as well.
23:31Happened over many, many, many years and many training sessions and many years of up and
23:37down in belief and self-doubts and everything, they never go away, but it's like learning
23:45over all of that period, learning how to deal with it, learning how to keep assisting on
23:50when you do feel like you're not going to make it or you can't keep going and things
23:57like that.
23:58It's just, yeah, years of working out what works best for you and how you're going to
24:02navigate that, but just pushing on anyway.
24:05Yeah.
24:06Yeah.
24:07I guess Paris was only a few weeks ago.
24:08Have you come down?
24:09How are you feeling?
24:10Have you been for a swim, little leisurely swim?
24:11I haven't been for a swim.
24:12Really?
24:13I did get in with the junior squad in Wollongong and did just 50 metres in each lane, so that
24:19added up to 300 metres, but that's all I've done.
24:23It's all I've done since my last race, I didn't warm down or anything.
24:28Because what is next for you?
24:31I know you've talked about swimming and being a part of your life.
24:35What's next for you?
24:36Well, that was definitely my last Olympics, I don't have another four years in me.
24:42Now I'm just taking time to just spend time with my family and friends and relax, and
24:47I guess also just take in what I've done and be proud of myself and things like that, because
24:56it is hard to do sometimes.
24:57And especially as athletes, and everyone would experience it, it's like when you do one thing
25:03and then you're always looking, okay, what's next, or how can I improve, or just that all
25:08the time.
25:09So it's important, which I've found it hard over the years, but it's important to pause
25:14for a bit and just reflect and look at how far you've come.
25:18Because when you look back, it is a long way from that 15-year-old.
25:25So you said you didn't have another four years in you, but in LA they're going to be,
25:29I think it's SoFi Stadium, that's where they're going to put the pool in.
25:33Obviously they had a big one in Paris, did you think, jeez, was that 60,000 people they
25:38can get in there?
25:39That would have been a pretty cool experience.
25:40That would be very cool, very cool.
25:42I'm excited to watch.
25:44Yeah.
25:45We've got another subscriber question here from Katrina from Mount Ferry, who I'm not
25:51sure she would be in here, but she said, how did you stay motivated?
25:56I think it's probably just not relying on motivation, because you don't feel motivated
26:04every day.
26:05It's unrealistic, like you don't, that super motivated feeling, it's just not realistic
26:10to maintain that every single day.
26:12So you can't rely on it, you have to rely on the fact that, you have to just rely on
26:17the fact of you're going to show up.
26:20It's almost like, for me, it's a non-negotiable, because over the years I have had periods
26:26where I don't want to get out of bed and things like that, and I didn't go, but once I got
26:33to a certain stage, it became a non-negotiable, I'm going to get out of bed and I'm going
26:37to show up, even if I'm feeling tired, not motivated, all of that, you can't rely on
26:43that feeling of feeling motivated.
26:47I probably feel motivated 50% of the time, and in the other 50% I don't, but you show
26:55up and you do it anyway, because you've got goals that you want to achieve.
26:59And we've got some younger ones in the crowd here as well, we do have a couple of questions
27:04about advice for them a little bit later on, but that's such an important one, that you're
27:09not going to be motivated all the time, you've just got to get out and do it.
27:12Janet from Canberra, Janet, are you here, Janet down here, she asks, and you sort of
27:18alluded to it when you were a teenager, but do you have hobbies outside of, or do you
27:21have time for hobbies outside swimming?
27:24Hobbies when I'm swimming, it's like more relaxing things like reading or going out
27:31for coffee and lunch and dinner, things like that on the weekends, but I love travelling,
27:39and we got to do that a lot with swimming, but often it's just seeing the hotel and the
27:43pool, so not really a lot, but I'm going on holidays in October, so that'll be nice to
27:49get some travel, I'm going to Italy and Switzerland.
27:54And then also just love going down to Wollongong, visiting my family, and we've got the dog
27:58down there, he's a Ridgeback, so yeah, and things like that.
28:05And from Mark from Canberra, is it Mark, yes, hello, how has success impacted your life?
28:18I guess the impact is doing things like this, being able to share what I've learnt, things
28:25like that, but it hasn't changed my life at all, I'm still the same person, I guess it's
28:35changed my life in terms of opportunities and things like that, and all the great things
28:38that do come with what I've done, but it hasn't changed me, and I think that's something I
28:46realised is like after the 100 free, when I won in Tokyo, I said to my team-mate Emily
28:56Seabom, I was like, I don't really, I don't feel like different or anything, and she's
29:01like, well what did you expect to, I said I don't, it doesn't feel how I expected it
29:04to, and I don't mean to downplay it or anything, but she's like, well what did you expect to
29:10feel like, you're still the same person, so it feels great like achieving that goal, but
29:19it's not going to, achieving it doesn't make you feel happy, like it doesn't, you know
29:26what I mean, so, yeah.
29:37And thinking back to your younger self, what advice would you give that girl to better
29:43set yourself up for life outside the pool?
29:47Probably having other goals as well, because swimming or sport does take up a lot of your
29:54time and your energy and your emotions and everything like that, so it's important to
29:57have other goals outside of swimming, and that's why I'm thankful that I decided to
30:02do uni, so I finished my uni degree just before our Olympic trials before Tokyo, and it took
30:09me about I think eight years to get the degree done, but I was always still working towards,
30:15you know, ticking something off, having something else that I'm working towards, so that really,
30:20I think that's really important for athletes to do, because it can't just be swimming,
30:25because mentally it does get really draining if that's all you've got.
30:31We've got another subscriber question here from Richard in Bonythin, Richard, yep, over
30:36there.
30:37He wants to know who inspired you growing up to help you achieve what you did?
30:42From a young age it was definitely Susie O'Neill, so that was from when I was five, and then
30:472004 Olympics, Jodie Henry, she won the 100 free, and then Libby Lenton as well, looking
30:54up to them, and they were always, like obviously the amazing things they'd done, but also just
31:02who they were, they were always very, you know, down to earth, very humble people, seemed
31:08very approachable, things like that, and that's always something that's really stuck with
31:12me, so they, I guess, I looked up to them in terms of what they'd done in swimming,
31:17but also like the kind of persona that they had, and I think even though I was only young,
31:22it was something that really stood out to me.
31:24And we've got one from Don, Don from Canberra, might not be in the room, and I'm interested
31:31in this one as well.
31:34Is it really necessary to train eight times per week?
31:37Now, we obviously had Cam McAvoy, who, you know, changed his training to help him keep
31:44going.
31:45I don't know, where do you land on that?
31:47Is it necessary to train, you were probably training more than eight times a week, I imagine,
31:51how many times were you, and is that necessary?
31:55To do what I did, yes, I had, especially in Tokyo, but even at these Olympics, like a
32:01huge program, so if I'm racing, like a meet goes, an Olympics goes for eight days, now
32:08nine days, you need to be training and doing heats and finals, often doing more than one
32:14race in a session, so I had to be very fit and very, you know, capable of having that
32:22kind of program.
32:23So for me, yes, it was very, very necessary.
32:25I train nine two-hour swim sessions a week, and then three to four in the gym, two on
32:32the spin bike, a Pilates, a yoga, it's a lot.
32:36It's a full-time job, right?
32:38Yeah, it's probably not necessary once you get to 30, which I am now, and I think it
32:43probably, maybe, like, yeah, you have to be smart as you get older, because you've done
32:50all that base and needs to change as you get older, which it's really benefiting Cam and
32:55his, you know, changing the game, but obviously that worked for him and everyone's an individual,
33:01and he had all the years of doing all of that work before that.
33:06He was a 100 and 200 metre swimmer, so he was doing all that 200 work and doing all
33:11the Ks and everything like that, so he's got that base and that technical knowledge and
33:15feel for the water, so yeah, it's necessary at some points, yeah, definitely.
33:21Damn.
33:22Damn.
33:23Damn.
33:24Sad to say.
33:25And this is related to John from Kayleen.
33:29Is John here?
33:31Hello.
33:32What are you going to do to keep fit once the regular training stops, sub-question,
33:38all the athletes I've ever come across, like, it's a very strict eating regime.
33:43You enjoying your food now?
33:44Yeah.
33:45Please tell people.
33:46I've always enjoyed my food, though.
33:47I've never been strict on the diet.
33:50It's always been about making sure I'm just fuelling, have enough energy to get through
33:54my sessions and things like that.
33:57Obviously it's, you know, I enjoy eating healthy foods and choices, but if I, you know, it's
34:02all about balance, if you want that cookie or, yeah, what was the question?
34:09What am I going to do with fitness now?
34:12I haven't done a lot yet, but, yeah, I don't know, it's going to be different for me.
34:18I guess doing exercise for health rather than, like, I've never exercised for health.
34:24I've always exercised for my sport and training.
34:28So that will definitely be different, but I don't know, I'll try out a few different
34:34things.
34:35I like Pilates.
34:36I like tennis.
34:37So it might be a fun thing to try.
34:44Another subscriber one, Amanda and James, I don't know where they're from, but two people
34:49with the same question.
34:50What advice would you give, and there's young people in the room, so, you know, take care
34:54here.
34:55What advice would you give to up and coming athletes about staying focused, committed
34:58and aiming for goals?
35:01I would say, I mean, this isn't just for athletes, it's for everyone.
35:06It's everything, everything you do is always going to have parts of it that you hate or
35:12parts of it that aren't enjoyable, parts that you don't like.
35:16It's finding something that you're passionate about, that you're willing to deal with, you're
35:22passionate enough about, that you're willing to deal with those crappy bits of it, because
35:26everything you do is always going to have parts that you don't like.
35:29So that's something that's really stuck with me, because there's lots of parts of swimming
35:33that I don't like.
35:34There's lots of parts of the training that I really, really don't like, but, you know,
35:38I found something that I was passionate about and something that I wanted to achieve and
35:44things like that.
35:45So I was willing to deal with those, you know, crappy bits.
35:51And I mean, you're only so young, and I know all athletes have a point where they have
35:56to, you get a second act, you're really lucky.
35:59What does it look like for you?
36:00What does the future look like for you when it happens?
36:04What's your second act going to look like?
36:06And who do you look up to in terms of people who've been elite athletes who then have a
36:11second act?
36:12Yeah, I'm actually not 100% sure yet.
36:17And sometimes that's a really hard question for athletes to ask them, especially straight
36:23away as well, because it is, you know, it takes up so much of our time.
36:26And I think a lot of athletes also struggle with answering that question, because it can
36:29make us look like we don't have anything else.
36:34But it does, it does take up a lot of your life and time and mind and energy and things
36:39like that.
36:40You often don't get the chance to try out other things while you are investing all that
36:46time into the training and being an athlete.
36:48So yeah, I'm looking forward to seeing what that is and trying out a few different things
36:55and seeing what it is that I enjoy or that fulfills me.
36:58But yeah, it is, it's a hard question to answer.
37:04And we are running out of time here, so we'll want to get Emma up to meet a few of you guys
37:10and sign some autographs.
37:11But we've just got a few more questions to go through quickly.
37:14The Brisbane Olympics is obviously not that far away, are you excited for that?
37:17Obviously you'll be a spectator there, but are you excited for that and the excitement
37:22it brings to the rest of Australia as well?
37:23Yeah, definitely very excited as it gets closer and closer.
37:27I remember, like I've got memories, I was only five when the Sydney Olympics were on.
37:33So they're very faint memories, but I remember the energy of that home games.
37:39And so, I mean, that's what put into me what I wanted to do.
37:45So yeah, I'm excited myself to feel that energy, but I'm excited for the whole country to feel
37:50that.
37:51And I mean, you saw what it was in Paris and the crowds were absolutely insane.
37:57And they were cheering, obviously the absolute loudest for the French, but it wasn't far
38:01behind for every other country.
38:04So I think just to be a part of that crowd and everyone coming together and you're all
38:08cheering for the same thing, you're all proud of the same thing.
38:13So having that feeling of all being together and having that connection like that, I think
38:18it's going to be really special.
38:19We've got some young ones in the audience, so hopefully we're seeing a few of your faces
38:24in a few years' time.
38:25I'm going to finish on, I've called them the fast seven.
38:28So not too much thinking about them, happy for short answers and we'll just finish on
38:33those.
38:34Who is your toughest opponent?
38:36Sarah Sostrom from Sweden.
38:38Why was she so hard?
38:40Why?
38:41Well, she holds so many world records and she's raised the bar for female sprinting
38:47over a long time.
38:50The best teammate you had?
38:52The best teammate?
38:53My brother, David.
38:54Isn't that nice?
38:55It's the right answer.
38:56If you've got a brother who can cheer for you like that, of course he's going to be
39:00a bloody good teammate.
39:02What's your favourite pre-race meal?
39:04Pasta.
39:06Was it right in saying you were studying nutrition?
39:10So did that help in what you were trying to do there and understanding what you needed
39:15to fuel your body?
39:16Not really, because I did health promotion and public health nutrition, so the nutrition
39:20part of it was actually quite small, but over the years I've learned a lot about nutrition
39:24and what I needed as an athlete and things like that.
39:28Based on your earlier answer of being unable to differentiate between your favourite Olympic
39:33games, what's your favourite Olympic moment?
39:39Definitely the 100 free in Tokyo.
39:42Favourite non-Olympic moment?
39:46Everything else in life?
39:47Yeah, training, Commonwealth Games, World Championships, life outside of the pool.
39:55Probably all the friendships I've made through it.
39:57A lot of them are, and the people I've worked with, one of them, Jess Coronas, I've worked
40:01with her since I was 15 and she's a sports scientist and we've just created such a great
40:07friendship and a friendship I'll have with her for our whole lives.
40:12Things like that are probably the best.
40:15Favourite discipline?
40:16Freestyle?
40:17Butterfly?
40:18Butterfly.
40:19And, I'm going to go there, the best Olympics, which one was it?
40:22Give us...
40:23Tokyo.
40:24Love it, love it, love it.
40:27Well that sort of wraps up the question and answer.
40:30Thank you Emma for being part of that.
40:32I watched a video of you in Paris just before I came out here, actually while I was standing
40:36over there.
40:37It was after your last individual race and it was the only time I've seen you emotional
40:42after a race and you said in there that you have a lot to be proud of and I agree with
40:46you and I'm sure everyone in the room agrees with me as well.
40:50If you could all put your hands together for Australia's Greatest Olympians.