Today, we’re thrilled to have one of the most accomplished athletes in the swimming world, Olympian and world champion, Maggie Mac Neil.
A native of London, Ontario, Maggie made a name for herself at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where she captured the gold medal in the 100-meter butterfly, cementing her place as the fastest women in the world in that event.
To date, she’s pulled off practically everything there is to achieve in elite swimming.
Along with her 3 olympics medals
She holds world records in the 50-metre backstroke and 100-metre fly;
She has two World Championship titles;
five medals from the Commonwealth Games;
Lastly, she earned seven medals at the 2023 Pan Am Games in Santiago Chile, five of them gold, setting a Canadian record for most gold medals won from a single Pan Am Games.
Off the blocks, Maggie is just as impressive. She got her degree in psychology from the University of Michigan, where she also swam and set 8 school records, before transferring to LSU, where she completed her Masters in Kinesiology while prepping for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Maggie is also a strong advocate for mental health awareness and she’s been very open about the struggles she had to tackle while facing the immense pressures that came with her success.
In today’s episode, we’ll explore Maggie’s journey from a young swimmer in Ontario to an Olympic champion, the challenges she faced along the way, her insights on the importance of mental health in elite sports, and we’ll discuss her next chapter now that she announced her retirement from competitive swimming!!
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Dare to Care, a trailblazing organization committed to tackling bullying in sports, is now the proud host of the Sporting Change Podcast!
Thanks to their partnership with BRP’s Ride out Intimidation program, Dare to Care’s Sporting Change Podcast can continue to educate and empower sport leaders around the world.
Please click here or follow us on social media @daretocaresports if you want more information on how to get your free Dare to Care bullying prevention sessions!
