Olympic champion swimmer, and dubbed "the greatest backstroke swimmer," Kaylee McKeown announced she pulled out of the Commonwealth Games and Pan Pacific Championships, after contracting a glandular fever. "I am gutted to medically withdraw," she shared in a statement for Swimming Australia Friday. "What I thought a few months ago was the flu has turned out to be my body fighting glandular fever," she added. "It was a hard decision to make but it was the right one," the swimmer said.
Kaylee's withdrawal from the games initially left her team at a loss for what to do, however, it may allow for a light to be shone onto Mollie O'Callaghan, given her record clocking 27.19 at last month's 50m backstroke trials, only 0.06 seconds behind McKeown. It's also worth noting that while O'Callaghan didn't participate in the 100m backstroke trials, her personal best in 2024 sits at 57.88. Her record is faster than any Commonwealth swimmer, and may be Australia's best hope for the games.
