PARIS — Whether it be in life or swimming, Maggie Mac Neil rarely opts for the easiest lane.
As an elite athlete and three-time Olympic medallist, her most accomplished discipline is the butterfly, equal parts gruelling, challenging and competitive.
Out of the pool there was an undergrad degree at the University of Michigan, a masters at Louisiana State University and law school somewhere as the next stop.
Excellence is her forte clearly, but the 24-year-old London, Ont. native isn’t about to let Olympic glory or agony define her, a point she made eloquently on Sunday when her muscles emptied of power in the closing strides to finish fifth in the women’s 100-metre butterfly final.
“It’s hard enough to do it once, but to do it again is even harder,” Mac Neil said of her pursuit to repeat the gold medal she captured in the event in Tokyo three years ago, a breakthrough event for the dynamic swimmer. “The last couple of months I’ve been really telling myself that I don’t have anything to prove to anyone, myself or anyone else.
“I’ve really been enjoying that experience and getting to share that with my family and friends.”
That attitude in part helps divert the pressure that can be excruciating on the Olympic stage. Mac Neil certainly felt it on Saturday where she didn’t swim her best in the preliminary heat and semi-final in front of vibrant and enthusiastic sellout crowd at La Defense Arena. That atmosphere was in stark contrast to Tokyo where she captured three medals — one of each colour — but did so in a swimming arena void of a crowd.
For a brief moment here in France it appeared that she might have summoned some of that Tokyo brilliance when she was seventh at the turn before passing everyone on her golden surge. On Sunday, she made another move and bronze was within reach until the final 20 metres as she slipped to fifth in a race that saw Americans Torri Huske and Gretchen Walsh finish 1-2 with Yufei Zhang of China hanging on for bronze.
“Repeating anything is challenging even at nationals,” said Mac Neil, whose opening 50 metres clocked in 25.94 and sapped her of some of the patented kick she’s used to success in the past. “Repeating at worlds and repeating at the Olympics is one of the hardest things to do. Regardless of whether it’s 50 (metres), 100, 200, 400 (the closing strides) hurt. It’s just a matter of being able to push through that pain.”
That she’s been able to do so has been a key element of her success, a racing thoroughbred with a ravenous ability to summon a powerful late drive to the wall.
Returning to the podium was always going to be a tough task here for a variety of reasons. No swimmer has ever repeated in the event at the Olympics and, in fact, no Canadian swimmer has ever won more than one gold.
The butterfly field is deep and both Huske and Walsh have been dominant. Compromising Mac Neil’s chances was the fact that her opportunities to race were greatly reduced in 2024. A three-time NCAA champion, she was no longer eligible to compete on the U.S. college circuit leaving the Canadian trials, which were a month later than usual this year.
While not reaching for excuses, Mac Neil acknowledged the competitive void robbed her of an opportunity to sharpen up.
“The timing of things didn’t work out great for me in finding competitions and practice races against people that were going to be in this field,” said Mac Neil, who will have an opportunity to race for a fourth career Olympic bauble in the 4×100 medley relay later in the week. “My training has been amazing (but) it’s been hard for me to put together that race this year. I’m not really sure why, but I know the training is definitely there.”
Perhaps overcompensating, Mac Neil went out faster than normal, reaching the 50-metre wall in fourth. Halfway through the home lap the podium was beckoning before that late surge subsided.
With 17 family and friends here to watch on Saturday and 13 in the crowd for Sunday’s final, Mac Neil was delighted to share the experience all were robbed of at Tokyo.
With no plans to extend her Olympic career to Los Angeles in 2028, she’s soaking up every last minute in Paris. And given her proven pedigree, don’t be surprised if she adds another medal before she’s done.
“It’s great to have their support, but obviously that comes with a little bit of pressure too,” MacNeil said. “I’m excited to share that experience with them. I know they’re having a blast and I can’t wait to join them.”