Olympian Emma McKeon Shares What She's Watching Right Now
The swimming star’s four gold and three bronze medals made her the most successful athlete at the Tokyo Games and raised her total to 11. Here’s what helps Australia’s greatest Olympic medal winner unwind...
The book I loved...
I like biographies and finding out about people’s lives and how they overcome challenges. Andre Agassi’s book, Open, is one of my favourites. It’s just so honest.
Right now I’m streaming...
Outer Banks [a series about teenagers living in a coastal town in North Carolina], which I watched when I was in quarantine straight after I got back from Tokyo. It’s probably a bit cringey but it’s easy watching. I like to put lighthearted shows on in the background so I can escape into them and relax, especially before I race. I put on those sorts of shows – even kids’ movies and Pixar cartoons – to de-stress.
The TED talk that inspired me...
It’s called The Happiest Man on Earth, by the late Eddie Jaku. He was 101 [when he died in October] but he gave the talk when he was 99. He was a survivor of the Holocaust, was sent to multiple concentration camps before arriving in Australia in 1950 and he still considered himself the happiest man on earth. He overcame so much and still chose love over hate.
The movie I can watch again...
I really like The Blind Side. It’s a movie that I re-watch all the time. I saw it again when I was home, after I got out of quarantine. It has a good storyline, is very emotional and based on a true story so it hits me every time I see it.
Right now I’m listening to...
I have a shared Spotify playlist with one of my friends in Melbourne. We’ve filled it with random happy, retro songs, like Drops of Jupiter by Train. I play it all the time and it puts me in a good mood.
The app I use the most...
At the moment, I’m using WhatsApp a lot because I’m overseas and that’s how I keep in contact with friends and family back home. I message everyone every day and video or voice call every few days. I talk to my parents [former competitive swimmers Ron and Susie McKeon] nearly every day. They provide a lot of support around swimming but they don’t talk to me about it much because that’s not their priority. They care about me as a person so we chat about normal life things.
