Maggie Mac Neil

Maggie Mac Neil is a Canadian former competitive swimmer best known for winning Olympic gold in the 100-metre butterfly at Tokyo 2020.

Maggie Mac Neil is a Canadian former competitive swimmer best known for winning Olympic gold in the 100-metre butterfly at Tokyo 2020. She is one of Canada’s most decorated swimmers, with world, Commonwealth, Pan American, and Olympic titles, and she announced her retirement from competitive swimming in 2024.

Early life

Maggie Mac Neil was born in Jiujiang, Jiangxi, China on 26 February 2000, and was adopted by a Canadian family a year later. She grew up in London, Ontario, and later competed for Michigan and LSU at the collegiate level.

International swimming career

Mac Neil emerged as an elite butterfly swimmer in 2019 when she won the World Aquatics Championships title in the 100-metre butterfly. She followed that with Olympic gold in 2021 at the Tokyo Games, then added world, Commonwealth, and Pan American titles over the next several seasons.

Tokyo 2020 and later achievements

At the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Mac Neil won gold in the women's 100-metre butterfly, silver in the 4x100-metre freestyle relay, and bronze in the 4x100-metre medley relay. She later won five gold medals at the 2023 Pan American Games, setting a Canadian record for most gold medals by one athlete at a single Pan American Games.

Retirement

Mac Neil announced her retirement from competitive swimming in September 2024 after the Paris Olympics cycle. Reports indicated she planned to focus on law school after leaving elite competition.