Olympic Champion Maggie MacNeil Reflects on Her EPIC Swimming Career

In the span of 2 years (2021-2023), Maggie MacNeil won essentially every major title in swimming that she could: Olympic Champion, World Champion (LCM and SCM), NCAA Champion, Commonwealth Games Champion, Pan American Champion, and world record holder. Last week, following the 2024 Paris Olympics, MacNeil announced she was retiring from competitive swimming.

Speaking on the SwimSwam Podcast, MacNeil said she was ready to pursue other things in life and knew even before the 2024 Paris Olympics that retirement was on the horizon for her. MacNeil will look to pursue law school starting in the fall of 2025, with potential internships abroad occupying her first 6 months of next year. Currently, she is working on a 6-week intensive LSAT course.

Listen as the Canadian swim star reflects fondly on her time in the pool and dives into some of her favorite moments throughout the last 5 years.

0:00 Maggie MacNeil Introduction
1:22 Why Retire Now?
3:04 Law School in 2025
9:00 2024 Paris Olympics
16:10 Motivation in 2024
18:28 Learning How to Succeed
23:10 Never Taking Winning for Granted
26:02 Career Highlights
30:42 Breathing in 50s
33:23 Women's Backstroke
35:39 Not Swimming for 5 Years