Kaylee McKeown withdraws from Commonwealth Games due to illness
Yahoo Sports • 1 min read • Latest: Jul 9, 2026, 10:18 PM
Last updated Jul 9, 2026
Kaylee McKeown, a five-time Olympic backstroke champion, has withdrawn from the Commonwealth Games set to take place in Glasgow from July 23 to August 2. The 24-year-old Australian athlete is suffering from glandular fever and will also miss the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in August. McKeown expressed her disappointment, stating that her condition, initially mistaken for flu, has affected her health significantly. Swimming Australia head coach Rohan Taylor endorsed her decision to prioritize her well-being.
- •McKeown is the reigning Olympic champion in the 100m and 200m backstroke.
- •She announced her withdrawal on July 9, as her health worsened.
- •The Commonwealth Games swimming events start on July 24.
- •McKeown's decision was also supported by Swimming Australia head coach Rohan Taylor.
- 11:55 PMYahoo Sports — Olympic gold medalist backstroker McKeown is out of Commonwealth Games with glandular fever
- 10:18 PMYahoo Sports — Olympic champion McKeown out of Commonwealth Games
- 10:17 PMBBC Sport — Olympic champion McKeown out of Commonwealth Games
"Five-time Olympic swimming gold medalist Kaylee McKeown is out of the Commonwealth Games and the Pan Pacific Championships which follow due to glandular fever. The star backstroker won both the 100- and 200-meter distances at the Tokyo Olympics and repeated the feat at the Paris Games in 2024. “I am gutted to medically withdraw,” McKeown said in a Swimming Australia statement Friday.
"Five-time Olympic backstroke champion Kaylee McKeown pulls out of this summer's Commonwealth Games in Glasgow with glandular fever.
"Five-time Olympic backstroke champion Kaylee McKeown pulls out of this summer's Commonwealth Games in Glasgow with glandular fever.
Sources
External links- Yahoo SportsJul 9, 2026, 11:55 PMOlympic gold medalist backstroker McKeown is out of Commonwealth Games with glandular fever
Five-time Olympic swimming gold medalist Kaylee McKeown is out of the Commonwealth Games and the Pan Pacific Championships which follow due to glandular fever. The star backstroker won both the 100- and 200-meter distances at the Tokyo Olympics and repeated the feat at the Paris Games in 2024. “I am gutted to medically withdraw,” McKeown said in a Swimming Australia statement Friday.
- Yahoo SportsJul 9, 2026, 10:18 PMOlympic champion McKeown out of Commonwealth Games
Five-time Olympic backstroke champion Kaylee McKeown pulls out of this summer's Commonwealth Games in Glasgow with glandular fever.
- BBC SportJul 9, 2026, 10:17 PMOlympic champion McKeown out of Commonwealth Games
Five-time Olympic backstroke champion Kaylee McKeown pulls out of this summer's Commonwealth Games in Glasgow with glandular fever.
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