Emma McKeon 'robbed' as storm erupts over Aussie flag-bearers for closing ceremony (2024)

Fans are wondering what more Emma McKeon has to do after the Aussie swimming champion once again missed out on carrying the Australian flag for the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympics. Australia's Chef de Mission Anna Meares announced on Saturday that swimmer Kaylee McKeown and sailor Matt Wearn would be the flag-bearers for the closing ceremony on Monday morning (Australian time).

And while no one can question that McKeown and Wearn are deserving recipients of the honour, many were once again left asking why McKeon was overlooked. McKeon is Australia's most decorated athlete (male or female) with 14 medals and six gold across her outstanding career.

Her gold medal as part of the women's 4x100m freestyle relay team in Paris gave her the sixth of her career and moved her past the legendary Ian Thorpe for most by an Australian in history. The 30-year-old ended her amazing swimming career in Paris, and many thought it would be the perfect farewell for her to carry the Aussie flag.

She wasn't chosen for the opening ceremony - mainly due to the fact the swimming program kicks off straight afterwards and the Aussie swimmers don't usually attend anyway - as the honour went to Jessica Fox (canoe/kayak) and Eddie Ockenden (hockey). With McKeon unable to attend the opening ceremony, many expected her to get the honour for the closing.

But she was overlooked once again when Meares named McKeown and Wearn on Friday. Some suggested McKeon might have left Paris and flown back to Australia already due to the edict that Aussie athletes have to vacate the Olympic village within 48 hours of their events finishing.

But her social media activity shows she was still in Paris holidaying with boyfriend Cody Simpson on Friday. And Meares' comments suggest she was simply overlooked - although she admitted it was an extremely tricky decision.

"I couldn't go past Kaylee ... yes there are great champions on that list, including Arnie (Titmus), including Emma, including Saya (Sakakibara)," Meares said. "I love the quirkiness and character of Kaylee. I love that she is unapologetically Kaylee ... our athletes will have a lot of fun with her at the closing ceremony.

"For Matt Wearn - an incredible human being. You could walk past him in the street and not even know he's the only person in the world at Olympic level ... to defend a (dinghy) gold medal. That speaks for itself."

McKeon was handed the huge honour of representing Oceania on stage during speeches for the closing ceremony. But fans were left perturbed that she didn't carry the flag.

Kaylee McKeown and Matt Wearn honoured to carry flag

McKeown and Wearn both made some extraordinary history in Paris. McKeown became the first Australian to win four individual gold medals at the Olympics when she defended the 100m and 200m backstroke titles she also won in Tokyo three years ago. And Wearn became the first sailor to successfully defend the Olympic men's dinghy title.

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McKeown wasn't even in the country when she got the call from Meares - but thankfully she wasn't too far away. The 23-year-old was on holiday in Croatia with her family, but is gladly heading back to Paris.

"When Anna asked the question, I responded 'are you serious?'" McKeown said. "Mum goes 'wait, what ya kidding?'. Everyone was just completely in shock. They were obviously extremely proud. There are so many athletes that deserve the same honour and opportunity. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I couldn't be more thankful."

Wearn was at the Olympic sailing venue in Marseille with his Belgian wife Emma, also a sailor at the Games. "We've had a few tears in our eyes, we both know what it means to represent our country, and how much of an honour this is," Wearn said. "There's a few tears shed, it's still sinking in. Emma keeps repeating it, that I'm going to carry the flag, but it doesn't seem real yet."

with AAP