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Kaylee McKeown, one of Australia's star swimmers, has reacted to the comments made by compatriot Cate Campbell about Team USA.
In a recent interview with Channel 9, Campbell had called Team USA "sore losers."
During the 2023 World Aquatics Championships, Kaylee McKeown shared her thoughts on Campbell's comments while speaking with The Daily Telegraph. Acknowledging the intense rivalry between Australia and the US, McKeown stated that other members of the Australian team did not endorse Campbell's opinions.
"I think the rivalry between Swimming Australia and the American team has been like that for decades, it's not anything new. In saying that though, I think there's a right and wrong way to say things," McKeown said. "Cate's entitled to her opinion but I just want the U.S. to know that she's not speaking on behalf of the whole Australian team. She wasn't in Japan, so for her to make those comments and not be there kind of makes us athletes, not look bad, but we don't think what she said."
"I know there were a few of us that had a few comments to say about it and we weren't too impressed that she had her two cents to put in. But as I said, everyone is entitled to their opinion. I don't necessarily agree with it, I don't like being called sore losers on our behalf, so I couldn't imagine how they [the Americans] would feel," she added.
Kaylee McKeown's comments clearly indicate that she has distanced herself and the rest of the Australian team from the remarks made by Cate Campbell for Team USA.
How was Kaylee McKeown's performance at World Aquatics Championships 2023?
Kaylee McKeown was one of Australia's top performers at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships in Japan. She alone contributed three gold medals to Australia's overall tally.
It was McKeown's most successful World Championships (LC) event in her career so far. She claimed three gold medals and two silver medals in Japan, including all three backstroke titles.
She won the 50m backstroke title with a time of 27.08 seconds. Meanwhile, in the 100m backstroke event, the 22-year-old claimed the gold medal with a championship record time of 57.53.
The Australian won the 200m backstroke as well, with a time of 2:03.85. This was her second consecutive 200m backstroke title at World Aquatics Championships (LC). In the relays, Kaylee and her teammates claimed silver medals in the 4x100m medley and 4x100m mixed medley events.
