Canadian swimmer Maggie Mac Neil is stepping away from the sport that earned her international acclaim. The athlete announced her retirement on Thursday, marking the end of a remarkable career highlighted by three Olympic medals.
Originally from China and raised in London, Ontario, the 24-year-old shared her thoughts on her departure in a heartfelt Instagram post.
“I have always wondered what the moment would feel like, when I decide to hang up the cap and goggles,” she wrote. “Well, here it is. I am officially retiring from competitive swimming.”
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The athlete, who began swimming at the age of two, also hinted at exciting new adventures ahead. “I’m excited to begin the next chapter of my life journey as I embark on discovering who I am outside of swimming.”
Mac Neil’s rise to fame came during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics (held in 2021), where she captured gold in the women’s 100-metre butterfly, silver in the 4x100m freestyle relay, and bronze in the 4x100m medley relay.
While she didn’t make it to the podium in Paris this past summer, Mac Neil posted strong performances in her final Games, finishing fourth in both the women’s 4x100m medley relay and the 4x100m freestyle relay.
In addition to her Olympic success, Mac Neil made waves in the swimming world by setting short-course world records in both the 50m backstroke and the 100m butterfly in 2022. During that year, she also retained her world titles in Melbourne, Australia, and amassed an impressive eight gold medals at the short-course world championships over two years.