Emma McKeon Wins 100m Freestyle at Victorian State Championships

Emma McKeon won the 100m freestyle in 53 seconds at the Victorian State Championships, starting her Paris Olympic gold medal defence on a high note.

McKeon clocked 53 seconds flat in the 100m freestyle, a time that would have seen her finish fourth in the recent World Aquatics final.

She was through the first 50m in 25.61 seconds and came home in 27.39 seconds, encouraging splits for her return to mainstream competition.

McKeon's win is a significant boost to her Olympic gold medal defence, as she strives to become only the second woman in history to defend the Olympic 100m freestyle crown.

The legendary **Dawn Fraser** is the only other woman to have achieved this feat, winning three Olympic 100m freestyle gold medals in 1956, 1960, and 1964.

McKeon will look to build on this performance as she prepares for the Paris Olympics, where she will face stiff competition from the likes of **Marrit Steenbergen** and **Siobhan Haughey**.

Earlier in the day, McKeon cruised comfortably through to the final in 54.21 seconds and also competed in the 50m butterfly, finishing second to **Rikako Ikee** in 25.86 seconds.

**Kaylee McKeown** finished second in the 100m freestyle in 54.35 seconds, while **Lani Pallister** came third in 55.07 seconds.

The Victorian State Championships will continue to be an important event for McKeon as she fine-tunes her preparations for the Paris Olympics.