{"id":534772,"date":"2023-08-03T11:31:12","date_gmt":"2023-08-03T18:31:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=534772"},"modified":"2023-08-03T11:31:12","modified_gmt":"2023-08-03T18:31:12","slug":"kaylee-mckeown-responds-to-backlash-after-cate-campbell-sore-loser-comments-we-dont-think-what-she-said","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/kaylee-mckeown-responds-to-backlash-after-cate-campbell-sore-loser-comments-we-dont-think-what-she-said\/","title":{"rendered":"Kaylee McKeown Responds to Backlash After Cate Campbell ‘Sore Loser’ Comments: ‘We Don’t Think What She Said’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kaylee McKeown Responds to Backlash After Cate Campbell ‘Sore Loser’ Comments: ‘We Don’t Think What She Said’<\/strong><\/p>\n

The swimming rivalry between the United States and Australia has peaked this week after the Aussies had one of their most successful international competitions ever with 13 gold medals and 25 total medals. Australia was surely the dominant nation of the meet<\/a>, but the U.S. won World Aquatics’ team of the meet<\/a>\u00a0award while American broadcaster NBC Sports showed a medal count ranking with the American team in front because of the 38 medals captured, even though only seven were gold.<\/p>\n

In a television appearance earlier this week, Aussie sprint great\u00a0Cate Campbell<\/strong> called the Americans “sore losers” while criticizing the American swimmers for banging a loud cowbell any time any time a swimmer left from the team area to race. “I’ve never wanted to punch someone more,” Campbell said. American breaststroker\u00a0Lilly King<\/strong> responded<\/a>, “Sorry we aren\u2019t so uptight we can\u2019t cheer for our teammates as they walkout for events.<\/span> See you in Paris.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, even some of Campbell’s fellow Australians are trying to walk back the comments.\u00a0Kaylee McKeown<\/strong>, named top female swimmer of the world championships after sweeping the three women’s backstroke events<\/a>, was particularly vocal. In an interview with\u00a0The Daily Telegraph<\/em>, McKeown spoke on the competition with the American team and why she disapproved of Campbell’s comments, noting in particular that Campbell was not part of this year’s Worlds team.<\/p>\n

“I think the rivalry between Swimming Australia and the American team has been that way for decades,” McKeown said. “It’s not anything new. I think there’s a right and wrong way to say things. Cate’s entitled to her opinion, but I just want the U.S. to know that she’s not speaking on behalf of the whole Australian team. She wasn’t in Japan, so for her to make those comments and not be there, it kind of makes us athletes, not look bad, but we don’t think what she said.”<\/p>\n

“I know there was a few of us that I had a few comments to say about it, and we weren’t too impressed about it that she had her two cents to put in. Like I said, everyone’s entitled to their own opinion. I don’t necessarily agree with it. I don’t like being called sore losers on our behalf, so I can imagine how they would feel having her said that.”<\/p>\n

McKeown, 22, swam in her first Olympics two years ago in Tokyo, joining Campbell on Australia’s 400 medley relay squad that captured gold as Campbell came from behind to beat the United States by 13-hundredths. Campbell, 31, is attempting a comeback in hopes of qualifying for a sixth Olympics next year.<\/p>\n

It remains to be seen if any more Australians will add their voices to the ongoing feud, but we do know that the title of superiority will be settled squarely at next summer’s Paris Olympics.<\/p>\n