Olympic swimming champion Kaylee McKeown has withdrawn from the lucrative World Cup series in China to prioritise her mental health as she presses pause on her career to take a break from the sport.
The 23-year-old, who already has five Olympic gold medals to her name, had been in Shanghai for day one of the first leg of the competition.
She had initially planned on taking a break after the World Cup, but has moved that decision forward.
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McKeown raced on Friday before releasing the news of her decision on Saturday.
“I would like to thank World Aquatics for the opportunity to come out and race at World Cups, it’s been so much fun here in Shanghai,” McKeown wrote on Instagram.
“Putting my mental health first, I’ve decided to cut my experience short.
“As an athlete, it’s so important to listen to your heart and to know when enough is enough.
“Time for a well overdue break.”
The post was flooded with messages of support, including comments from a number of her Dolphins teammates.
“Congrats on an amazing season! We’re all so proud of you. Now it’s time to enjoy some well-deserved rest,” Mollie O’Callaghan said.
Shayna Jack added: “Proud of you.”
And World Aquatics responded with: “Take some rest and enjoy your time off. See you next year stronger than ever.”
McKeown has had a massive year already, having defended her 100m and 200m Olympic backstroke titles in Paris earlier this year.
She was also one of the stars of the World Cup series last year, winning the overall women’s title as she broke a number of world records along the way.
The decision to pull out comes just weeks after McKeown did the same thing for the world short course championships.
McKeown says she endured a post-Paris struggle and went “stir crazy” before returning to the pool with a bang in Adelaide last month.
But the lure of gifting herself more medals as an early Christmas present lost out to a much-needed holiday.
McKeown scratched the world short course championships on December 10-15 from her schedule.
“Today I made the decision to pull out of the 2024 world short course team, it’s not something I wanted to do but needed to do,” McKeown wrote.
“The past five-year prep has been an onslaught both physically and mentally.
“I have continuously pursued for consistency and greatness within the work I do and sometimes you just need a break. A break from the hype, the media, the adrenaline rush from competition.
“Although I will not be competing at WSC I have committed to World Cups in a few weeks. I’m looking forward to competing freely with no pressure and little work.”
– With Glenn Valencich