Susie O’Neill Answers Katie Ledecky’s Got Milk Challenge By Balancing Glass of Beer During Swim

Susie O'Neill (AUS) 1996 Olympics by Tim Morse (1)

Susie O'Neill in 1996. Photo Courtesy: Tim Morse / Swimming World Archive

Australian Olympic gold medalist Susie O’Neill took Katie Ledecky’s “Got Milk Challenge” on social media on Tuesday, but added her own special twist to the challenge. Ledecky, winner of four individual Olympic gold medals, swam an entire 50 long course meters with a glass of chocolate milk on her head. O’Neill, having been retired for two decades now, attempted to swim 25 meters while balancing a glass of beer.

O’Neill, who just turned 47 two days ago, nearly swam the full 25 meters before spilling the glass in the pool, but ended up drinking the rest of the glass while at the wall. O’Neill is the first swimmer we have seen attempt Ledecky’s challenge that went viral on social media Monday night.

Susie O’Neill’s swim can be seen below:

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A post shared by Ash, Kip, Luttsy & Susie (@ashkipluttsyandsusie)

Ledecky’s swim that has amassed almost 2 million views:

This is Katie Ledecky swimming the length of a pool without spilling a single drop of the chocolate milk balanced on her head.

Sometimes you think you’ve seen it all in sports, and then you come across what might be the most athletic thing I’ve ever seen
pic.twitter.com/59RsjlouZ2

— Joshua Axelrod (@jaxel222) August 3, 2020

Susie O’Neill has won eight Olympic medals in her career, culminating with the gold medal in the 200 butterfly in 1996 as well as a gold in the 200 freestyle in front of her home fans in Sydney in 2000. She was the heavy favorite to win back to back gold medals in the 200 butterfly in 2000 as she broke one of the longest standing records in the sport earlier in the year, swimming a 2:05.81 to top Mary T. Meagher’s 19-year-old record at the time. But O’Neill was upstaged in the Sydney final by American Misty Hyman in one of the most famous Olympic moments in the history of our sport.

Nonetheless, O’Neill is regarded as one of the best Australian swimmers in history and one of the best 200 butterflyers in history, taking a bronze in our latest “League of Olympic Swim Legends” series last week. She also took a bronze in the 200 fly in 1992 and won four additional medals on relays in 1996 and 2000.

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