Maggie Mac Neil is a Canadian triple Olympic medallist from her groundbreaking debut at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics. Her achievements include a gold medal from the Women’s 100m butterfly, a silver medal from the Women’s 4x100m freestyle relay, as well as a bronze medal from the Women’s 4x100m medley relay. Maggie’s new accolades caught the attention of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC), which led to her winning the “Best Female Athlete of Tokyo 2020 Award” in the Creta Maris Beach Resort in Crete, Greece on Sunday, October 24, 2021.
The ANOC is an organization that is directly affiliated with the International Olympic Committee (IOC). They hand out awards to the athletes with the most outstanding performance at each Olympic Games. For Maggie to accomplish this spectacular feat, not only sets the bar for her fellow teammates, but it also proves she succeeded in passing the competition with flying colours. Maggie even has a severe asthma condition that can become drastically worse with chlorine exposure, but she remarkably swam past these setbacks during the Olympic Games.
After the ceremony commenced, Maggie said the following statements during the ANOC press release, “It is such a great honor to receive this award. There are so many amazing athletes who competed in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. With all we have been through the last year and a half, this makes it even more special.” Team Canada’s Tokyo 2020 Chef de Mission and three-time Olympic gold medallist, Marnie McBean also stated, “Her three-medal performance was a catalyst for Team Canada — in and out of the water — to believe in great things.” Maggie extensively trained in her backyard during the pandemic to prepare for the Olympics, which spreads the hope of being able to attain world-class results with ordinary training methods.
Maggie’s resume of swimming milestones is another essential factor for her journey to becoming the athlete she is today. Maggie started swimming at the age of 2 in her hometown of London, Ontario. From there, she earned the record for the Canadian, Americas, and Commonwealth time for Women’s 100m Butterfly, granting her the title of the “Swimming Canada’s Breakout Swimmer of the Year” in 2019. Maggie also won the “Big Ten Swimmer of the Year” and the “University of Michigan Female Athlete of the Year” in the 2019-2020 NCAA Championships during her sophomore year at the University of Michigan.
At the young age of 21, Maggie Mac Neil is a flourishing prospect who elevates her swimming each year. Maggie said “winning a gold medal is what everyone dreams of” and she managed to fulfill her dream at her first Olympic Games. The 2024 Paris Olympic Games are just around the corner, so the entirety of Canada is definitely looking forward to watching her performance in 3 years.
