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Former competitive swimmer Emma McKeon took to social media to share a few glimpses of her recent trip to Italy with her boyfriend, Cody Simpson. Simpson is a swimmer himself, with the couple first meeting through the Australian swimming team. McKeon and Simpson have been together since 2022 and have often shown their support for each other's careers.
Emma McKeon retired from competitive swimming in late 2024. She has had a highly decorated career, winning multiple Olympic medals and also setting multiple world and Olympic records. McKeon first made her breakthrough at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, where she made her senior international debut and won four gold medals and two bronze medals. She holds 14 Olympic medals, which is tied for the most out of any female Olympic swimmer in history.
In a post shared on Instagram, McKeon shared a few images of herself and Simpson in Italy, writing:
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"Italian coastal dreams 🇮🇹"
Emma McKeon's retirement came after she participated in the Paris 2024 Olympics, where she ended her career on a high note by winning a gold medal as part of the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay team.
Emma McKeon says she knew Paris 'would be her last Olympics'
Emma McKeon revealed her thoughts on when she knew she was ready to retire. The former Australian swimmer retired after the Paris 2024 Olympics and was recently asked about whether she knew she was ready to retire before or after the Games.
In an interview with SwimSwam, McKeon said:
"It was before the games. I wasn't sure if I was done completely with swimming, but I knew another four years I didn't have in me so I knew that would be my last Olympics. I think I just felt deep down I was ready to stop. I was ready to not have that unrelenting lifestyle of an athlete to be honest, you know I'm the type of person that's 100% all in. And I won't half do anything and so I knew that if I kept going I couldn't do it like that. So I was just excited to kind of have life without that and just explore what's next."
Emma McKeon also added that she had to learn to be proud of her career, which spanned 15 years, and accept retirement. The Aussie once briefly considered quitting the sport after missing a spot to compete for the London 2012 Olympics.
