High hopes for Moreton Bay's Olympic stars

Australia’s Olympic swimming team, the Dolphins, will have two Moreton Bay spearheads leading the race for gold in Paris.

Kaylee McKeown was born, raised, schooled and started swimming in this region, while Sam Short began his career and lives in Moreton Bay.

At the Olympic Aquatic Centre in Saint-Denis, they will have up to 19 races (including relay heats), over 10 days, in eight events starting on Saturday.

Medals hopes are high for both. Born in Redcliffe and just turned 23, McKeown won three golds in Tokyo and is tipped for more in Paris.

The former Australian Crawl swimmer at Burpengary defends her 100m and 200m backstroke titles and has the 200m individual medley, 4x100m medley and mixed relays.

Short, who lives at Bunya and will be 21 in September, was unwell during the Olympic Trials, but still earned his place in the Games’ three longest pool races.

Now at Rackley Swim Team, the former Albany Creek Swimming Club member, is in the 400m, 800m and 1500m freestyle – events he won at the World Championships last year.

Short’s Olympic campaign starts on Saturday, 7pm (AEST), with the 400m freestyle heats. McKeown, now at Griffith University Swim Club, begins on Monday at 7pm in the 100m backstroke heats.

Taylor McKeown, who was also born in Redcliffe, lived in Caboolture and swam at Burpengary, admits there is expectation on her younger sister.

“I’m nervous because I know there’s pressure on her,” said Taylor, who won Olympic silver in 2016 and called time on her 10-year international career in 2022.

“She’s the world record holder or one of the fastest in her (Olympic) events and people are going be putting pressure on her.

“I hope she doesn’t feel it, just gets in, swims her own race and gives it her best.

“If she does that, I have a gut feeling something really special will happen this year.”

That enthusiasm was echoed by Short. In an interview on Sportzhub, from the Dolphins’ pre-Olympic camp in France, he said: “I’m buzzing.

“I’m soaking up every moment here and can’t wait to get to the (Olympic) village, it will be awesome.

“We’re putting in some good work and some solid sessions. I’m feeling really good, (there’s) some fast times.”

Taylor, a pupil at St Paul’s Lutheran Primary School in Caboolture like her sister, believes this could be a “once-in-a-lifetime” Games for Australia.

After her Olympics Unleashed presentation at Southern Cross Catholic College in Woody Point, she said many of Australia’s swimmers were “in their prime”.

“Going by the way we have swum in the last two years, we probably have the biggest collection of world record holders Australian has ever seen,” Taylor said.

“The biggest collection of top five swimmers in the world and most are 25 years and younger …. all in their prime.

“Even if they don’t perform at their best, this could still be better than any Olympics we’ve had before. It’s really, really special.”