NZ Herald Focus Sport's Cheree Kinnear wraps day four, our first medal, and is joined by boxer David Nyika as he prepares for his first Olympics bout. Video / NZ Herald
WARNING: STRONG LANGUAGE
The gamble paid off.
Doubts were raised when Kaylee McKeown pulled out of the 200m individual medley on the eve of the Olympics but the decision to focus on her pet event was justified with a gold medal.
The Aussie superstar won the 100m backstroke final on Tuesday, putting in a sensational second 50m after a slow start, to set a new Olympic record of 57.47, beating Canada's Kylie Masse by just 0.02 of a second.
Full Kiwi schedule below. Click on a name to see athlete's bio, upcoming events, past Games performance and medal chance.
But the real golden moment of the morning came after McKeown had hopped out of the water. Her sister and mum were watching on at home and when asked by Channel 7 on the pool deck what message she'd like to send to her family, the 20-year-old went rogue.
"F*** yeah!" she yelled into the microphone. She quickly realised her mistake, but the attempt to rectify it was just as good.
Thankfully for the kiddies at home, the rest of the interview was all G-rated.
"It's definitely something that people dream of. Something I have dreamed of," McKeown said. "To make it a reality is … really amazing.
"I'm just thankful I have a good support team. A few people before the race came up and said to just have all the faith in the world that you have got this."
McKeown's mum Sharon and sister Taylor couldn't have been more proud of their superstar daughter and sibling.
"Swearing on TV!" Sharon said when asked about her daughter's excitement levels after the win. "I will have a word to her later.
"It hasn't sunk in. So happy and excited. I can't wait to give her a cuddle."
Taylor was overcome with emotion. "For her to be that close to her own world record, which is also her personal best, is frigging phenomenal!" she said.
"That is so amazing. I don't even have words. I can't talk. I literally can't talk. I'm so happy for her. She just looks so beautiful on TV as well.
"She is enjoying racing. This is a testament to her, her hard work. Ask anyone in her training group – she will push herself until she vomits. An absolute animal.
"She will be the Emily Seebohm to the Kaylee McKeown now. I hope lots of kids are inspired to get out there, train hard and achieve your dreams because anyone can do it if you put the work in."
Kaylee McKeown on the podium. Photo / Getty Images
Veteran Emily Seebohm, competing at her fourth Olympics, finished fifth. Channel 7 presenter Johanna Griggs challenged McKeown for the best line of the day when she said: "Between both of them, it's the first event we've had a Seebohm and an F-bomb in the same place. I loved it. I thought it was brilliant."
Although she didn't make the podium, Seebohm was rightfully proud of her performance.
"Really happy. Close to getting back to my best, which is really good," she said. "Hasn't been an easy road to get here. It it's been a long wait, the five years, it's been a long wait. It's worth it.
"An awesome race to be a part of. I'm so, so happy for Kaylee."
