4 years ago Kaylee McKeown said goodbye to her father. Last night, she swam for him.

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At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Kaylee McKeown made headlines when she enthusiastically shouted "f*** yeah!" after winning gold in the 100m backstroke.

Four years later, the she is celebrating again with back-to-back Olympic titles in the 100m backstroke — this time keeping her words *mostly* G-rated.

Her family, however, was as spirited as ever, proudly cheering on the 23-year-old as she competed against rivals, including American Regan Smith, who had recently broken McKeown's world record at the US trials.

"That was unreal. We were going nuts up there. It was — yeah, speechless," one of McKeown's brothers told Channel Nine.

The other added: "It was unreal, man. She was always going to do it. We backed her all the way. She is the legend. She is the GOAT."

It was a remarkable moment as she triumphed over her competitors in the pool, securing Australia’s fourth swimming gold medal and sixth overall at this year’s Summer Olympics in Paris.

Kaylee McKeown says her 'dad was with her' during Paris Olympics win.

The victory was made even more special when fans learned that this win was dedicated to McKeown's father, Sholto McKeown, who passed away four years ago due to cancer.

"Expectation is a privilege and if you get the privilege, it is something special," said McKeown after her win. 

"I like to think I have a superpower and that's my dad. I believe he was with me tonight. I'm just over the moon," she added. 

The interviewer then asked Kaylee about what her dad would have been thinking if he had been in the stands watching her compete.

"I'm not going to swear but we could all put words together," she joked. "He would be extremely proud. It's great to have my family here because I know that he's here in spirit. 

"No words can amount to how much I appreciate their support. They deal with a lot of sh*t so, thank you for all of that."

She did *almost* get there without swearing.

He passed after battling cancer. Image: Instagram @kaylee_mckeown.

In the audience, McKeown's mother, Sharon, was on the edge of her seat, watching her daughter’s triumph. Amidst the celebration, she couldn't help but think of her late husband, and how he would have reacted to McKeown’s gold.

"He would have been saying F-yeah!" she said. "We have a little superpower thing, and I said to [McKeown], ‘We know that dad’s there as a superpower.'"

Who are Kaylee McKeown's family? 

The Australian swimmer was born in 2001, to doting parents Sharon and Sholto McKeown. 

She was just fifteen years old when she joined her older sister Taylor McKeown as a part of the Australian Dolphins swim team. 

It was Sholto's dream to see his daughters compete at the Olympics. While he managed to watch McKeown's older sister, Taylor, compete in Rio in 2016, he sadly couldn’t see McKeown in Tokyo due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sholto was his daughters' biggest supporter. Image: Instagram @kaylee_mckeown. The entire family felt his passing and in order to keep a piece of him close, McKeown had one of Sholto’s quotes tattooed on her left foot, which reads: "I'll always be with you."

The Olympic champion has previously opened up about how she felt after her dad's death, admitting that it was "one of the hardest things I've ever had to come to terms with."

"The man who once taught me how to walk, talk and live is no longer a phone call away. Instead, he is now a precious and timeless memory tied closely to my heart," she wrote on social media.

"I will never understand why bad things happen to good people, but I know now that time waits for nobody. Whether it's the best of times or the worst of times, it's the only time we've got.

"Sometimes there will be no next time, no second chance, no time out. Sometimes it is now or never, and that is exactly how my dad taught me to live my life.

"Be present, be grateful and remember to tell the people around you that you love them, because moments can become memories in the blink of an eye.

"I'll never forget how selfless my dad was, he was the greatest dad I could've asked for! My biggest cheerleader, my best friend.

"He gave me so much in life, the best childhood a kid could ask for. I'd do anything just to be able to speak to him again.

"Until then I'll never stop living for the both of us, here's to you, dad."

How many Olympic medals has Kaylee McKeown won?

After her most recent win, McKeown's medal cabinet is probably feeling the weight of her greatness.

At just 23 years old, she not only defended her title but also set a new Olympic record with a time of 57.33 seconds.

Her achievement puts her among an elite group of Australian women, including Dawn Fraser and Ariarne Titmus, who are the only swimmers to have won the same individual event in back-to-back Olympics.

She also joins Fraser, Titmus, Shane Gould, Ian Thorpe, and Betty Cuthbert as the sixth Australian to earn three individual golds at the Olympics.

This is her first win at the Paris Olympics, bringing her total to four gold medals when combined with the three she earned at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.

Who is Kaylee McKeown's partner?

McKeown has been dating Olympic swimmer Brendon Smith since 2021. Image: Instagram @kaylee_mckeown.

McKeown is supported by her partner, fellow swimmer Brendon Smith, who is also representing Australia at the Paris Games. Talk about a power couple.

Smith made his Olympic debut alongside McKeown at the Tokyo Olympics, where he won his first medal, taking third in the 400m medley. However, it wasn't until a year later, in 2021, that they started dating.

The couple trains under Michael Bohl at Griffith University, and although they keep the details of their love story private, it seems they may have formed a connection just before Smith joined Griffith.

This couple prefer to keep their relationship fairly private. Image: Instagram @kaylee_mckeown.

McKeown and Smith frequently share glimpses of their relationship on social media and are often seen supporting each other from the sidelines.

Feature image: Getty/Instagram @kaylee_mckeown.

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