Aussie swimming golden girls 'let everyone down' in staggering revelation after Olympics

Kaylee McKeown and Mollie O'Callaghan have made the shock admission they're disappointed with their results at the Paris Olympics and worry they may have let themselves down. The Australian swimming champions both made history in the pool in Paris, with McKeown becoming the first Aussie to win four gold medals in individual events after successfully defending her 100m and 200m backstroke titles.

And O'Callaghan equalled the legendary Ian Thorpe by winning the fifth gold medal of her career at the age of 20. Only Emma McKeon has more gold medals (six), but O'Callaghan might have three more Olympics in her and definitely two.

McKeown and O'Callaghan walked away from the Paris Games with 10 medals between them - two gold, one silver and two bronze for McKeown, and three gold, one silver and one bronze for O'Callaghan. But the times the Aussie golden girls produced left them feeling bitterly disappointed.

There was a distinct lack of world records broken in Paris, with the shallow depth of the pool resulting in slower times because it was choppier and harder to swim in. The winner of the 100m backstroke was expected to break the world record, but McKeown fell significantly short. Ariarne Titmus won the 400m gold medal but admitted she was shocked by her slow time.

And despite winning gold in the 200m freestyle, 4x100m freestyle relay and 4x200m relay, the one that O'Callaghan really wanted was the 100m. However she failed to medal in a huge boilover that left her heartbroken.

Aussie swimmers express post-Olympics disappointment

Now, the golden girls of Australian swimming have revealed in an interview with News Corp how disappointed they are not to have swum faster and fear they "let everyone down". O'Callaghan reportedly broke down in tears during the interview, with McKeown saying: “We’ve been away from home for close to seven weeks now The times that we swam just did not reflect how hard we’ve been pushing, not only for just this year, but the past year. I’ve been doing times that I haven’t done ever in my entire career. And I know Mollie just sees that the same.”

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O'Callaghan admitted part of her is proud but another part isn't. “It’s all good but I think it’s a hard one because there’s so many good things, and then there’s so many shit things," she said. “At the end of the day, you’ve just got to be positive because many people don’t have the opportunity to stand on the podium. I’ve worked hard and I probably deserved a lot more than what I achieved.”

McKeown said she was rapt with the medals she won, but felt she didn't meet a "personal standard" she knows she can. The stunning comments show the immense pressure the athletes must have been feeling, and the desire to be the absolute best when the Olympics rolls around every four years.

How the 'green Games' hampered swimmers at Paris Olympics

But they should take comfort in the fact everyone was hampered by a pool that was proven to be historically slow. Titmus also pointed out that living in the athletes' village during an Olympic Games isn't exactly conducive to peak performance.

The athletes were subjected to the 'greenest' Games in Olympics history, featuring cardboard recyclable beds, more vegan food options than ever before and a lack of traditional air-conditioning in rooms. The measures were designed to save the planet, but they weren't ideal for the world's best athletes.

“It probably wasn’t the time I thought I was capable of, but living in the Olympic village makes it hard to perform,” Titmus said after winning the 400m gold. “It’s definitely not made for high performance, so it’s about who can really keep it together in the mind.”