Canadian Olympic gold medalist Maggie Mac Neil of London, Ontario retired on Thursday at the age of 24. Mac Neil is best known for winning a gold medal in the women’s 100 metre butterfly at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2021.
The primary reason for Mac Neil’s retirement is because she wants to focus on her education. Mac Neil already has a sports management degree at Louisiana State University and plans to earn her law degree. In addition to attending LSU, Mac Neil began her collegiate career at the University of Michigan.
In all, Mac Neil won three Olympic medals. She also won silver in the women’s 4×100 metre freestyle and bronze in the women’s 4×100 metre medley at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2021.
Mac Neil also won eight medals at the World Aquatics Championships. She won one gold medal, three silver medals and four bronze medals. The gold medal came in the women’s 100 metre butterfly in 2019 in Gwangju, South Korea.
At the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, Mac Neil also set Canadian sports history. She set the record for the most gold medals by a Canadian at a single Pan American Games with five. Mac Neil’s gold medals came in the women’s 50 metre freestyle, women’s 100 metre butterfly, women’s 100 metre freestyle, women’s 4×100 metre freestyle, and women’s 4×100 metre medley. Mac Neil broke the record of four previously set by gymnast Ernestine Russell of London, Ontario at the 1959 Pan American Games in Chicago, table tennis player Lijuan Geng of Ottawa, Ontario at the 1995 Pan American Games in Mar del Plata, Argentina, and swimmer Jessica Deglau of Vancouver, British Columbia at the 1999 Pan American Games in Winnipeg.
