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Canadian swimmer Maggie Mac Neil is only 24 — a time when most people are only beginning their careers. But the three-time Olympic medalist, who made her Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020, is officially retiring from competitive swimming. The London, Ont. resident made the bittersweet announcement to Instagram on Thursday.
“I have always wondered what the moment would feel like, when I decide to hang up the cap and goggles. Well, here it is. I am officially retiring from competitive swimming. The little girl above would have never dreamed this is where her love of swimming would take her,” Mac Neil wrote alongside a photo from her childhood.
Mac Neil thanked everyone for their support in her journey, noting that no one she crossed paths with ever told her that her dream of going to the Olympics wasn’t achievable. “It’s still surreal to be able to say I’m a 2xOlympian. I’m excited to begin the next chapter of my life journey, as I embark on discovering who I am outside of swimming,” she wrote.
According to the Canadian Olympic Committee, Mac Neil started swimming at two years old and began competing with the London Aquatic Club at age 8.
She made her competitive swimming debut at the World Aquatics Championships in 2019 when she won the world title in the 100-metre butterfly (breaking the Canadian, Americas and Commonwealth record, with a time of 55.83 seconds).
She went on to win a pair of bronze medals with the women’s 4 x 100-metre freestyle and 4 x 100-metre medley relays, breaking the national records in both. She was then named Swimming Canada’s Breakout Swimmer of the Year.
Maggie Mac Neil then participated in the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympic Games, winning three medals in Tokyo: a bronze medal for the women’s 4 x 100-metre medley relay, silver for the women’s 4 x 100-metre freestyle relay, and gold for the women’s 100-metre butterfly.
The swimmer also became Canada’s most decorated athlete in Pan Am history after winning five gold medals and seven total at the Games; she was subsequently named the best female athlete at the 2023 PanAm Sports Awards.
