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Anton MCKEE
Sport Swimming
NOC Iceland   
GenderMen
Born18 Dec 1993 in Reykjavík, ISL
Height1.83 m
 Human Interest 
Further Personal Information
Residence
Christiansburg, VA, USA
General Interest
Hero / Idol
Icelandic swimmer Jakob Johann Sveinsson. (Athlete, 06 Aug 2010)
Awards and honours
He was named 2019 Male Athlete of the Year in Hafnarfjordur, Iceland. (hafnfirdingur, 08 Jan 2020)

He was named 2017 Southeastern Conference [SEC] Scholar-Athlete of the Year when he was swimming for the University of Alabama in the United States of America. (swimmingworldmagazine.com, 01 Jun 2017)
Sport Specific Information
Name of coach
Sergio Lopez, ESP
When and where did you begin this sport?
He took up swimming at age six at Hafnarfjordur Swimming Club in Iceland.
Further Personal Information
Languages
Danish, Icelandic, English
General Interest
Nicknames
McIykill (Athlete, 06 Aug 2010)
Further Personal Information
Occupation
Athlete, Consultant
Higher education
Management Information Systems - University of Alabama: Tuscaloosa, AL, USA
General Interest
Hobbies
Spending time with his family. (frettabladid.is, 08 Feb 2020)
Injuries
In August 2014 he sustained a fractured right clavicle [collarbone] in a boogie boarding accident while he was on his summer vacation in Newport Beach, CA, United States of America. He underwent surgery and a titanium plate was fixed to the clavicle. He resumed training with the University of Alabama in October 2014. (Inside with Brett Hawke YouTube channel, 21 Apr 2020)
Sport Specific Information
Why this sport?
"We have a lot of swimming pools in Iceland. My parents went swimming every day and I always got to float with them. I quickly fell in love with water and swimming as a child. My father, who had a lot of free time in his day, always encouraged me to practise sports. I got the competitive spirit from my parents and it was hard not to fight and give up when playing board games at home."
General Interest
Sporting philosophy / motto
"I do not control how fast others swim or in what places they land. I just decide how fast I will swim." (frettabladid.is, 08 Feb 2020)
Other information
BREAK AND RETURN
After graduating from the University of Alabama in 2017, he was out of the pool for seven months while working as a consultant with Ernst & Young in Boston, MA, United States of America. In October 2019 he took leave from his job to prepare for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo and become a professional swimmer. "[Working at Ernst & Young] was an interesting experience and gave me a good insight into the American labour market. It also put a lot of pressure on my emotional life. I had trained and competed for the university team, where there was a lot of pressure to achieve the best results for the team, but gradually I lost my love of swimming, was unhappy and got fed up with it. I thought I was ready to quit swimming, but it only took me seven months to regain the passion. Suddenly I found how I really enjoyed training and competing at such a high level. I worked long hours, and went back to training that was not meant to achieve maximum results in sports, but I was improving, and qualified for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. It seemed unrealistic at first but I became aware of these new things - to enjoy swimming, consider it a privilege, and success will follow." (LinkedIn profile, 01 Sep 2020; ruv.is, 21 Mar 2020; frettabladid.is, 08 Feb 2020; hafnfirdingur, 08 Jan 2020)

CHANGE OF EVENT
At the beginning of his swimming career he focused on the 1500m and 400m events. He switched to the 200m and 100m breaststroke when he joined the University of Alabama swimming team ahead of the 2013/14 collegiate season. "When I showed up on campus, two months later I was officially a breaststroker. It may well be that it helps me not to have been in the breaststroke longer than this [speaking in 2018]. I need to use different training methods and spend more time in the weight room, gaining more power that pays off, considering I'm not getting any younger. With the foundation you had from swimming the longer distance, and more and more experience from the breaststroke and increased strength, I think this is all coming together." (Inside with Brett Hawke YouTube channel, 21 Apr 2020; mbl.is, 10 Dec 2018; cnslocallife.com, 18 Jul 2018; rolltide.com, 01 Aug 2017)
Famous relatives
His partner Gudlaug Edda Hannesdottir has represented Iceland in triathlon and competed at the 2021 World Series event in Yokohama, Japan. (SportsDeskOnline, 13 Dec 2021; gofundme.com, 29 Jun 2021)
Sport Specific Information
Training Regime
He trains with the Pinnacle Racing training group based in Blacksburg, VA, United States of America.
Further Personal Information
Family
Partner Gudlaug Edda Hannesdottir

 Competition Highlights
Olympic Games
Rank Year Venue Event Result
24 2021 Tokyo, JPN 200m Breaststroke 2:11.64
Heats 2016 Rio de Janeiro, BRA 100m Breaststroke 1:01.84
Heats 2016 Rio de Janeiro, BRA 200m Breaststroke 2:11.39
25 2012 London, ENG 1500m Freestyle 15:29.40
31 2012 London, ENG 400m Individual Medley 4:25.06
World Championships
Rank Year Venue Event Result
7 2023 Fukuoka, JPN 200m Breaststroke 2:09.50
Heats 2023 Fukuoka, JPN 100m Breaststroke 1:00.86
6 2022 Budapest, HUN 200m Breaststroke 2:09.37
Heats 2022 Budapest, HUN 100m Breaststroke 1:00.80
Heats 2019 Gwangju, KOR 50m Breaststroke 27.46
Semifinal 2019 Gwangju, KOR 200m Breaststroke 2:10.68
Heats 2019 Gwangju, KOR 100m Breaststroke 1:00.32
Semifinal 2015 Kazan, RUS 200m Breaststroke 2:10.79
Heats 2015 Kazan, RUS 100m Breaststroke 1:00.53
Heats 2013 Barcelona, ESP 200m Breaststroke 2:15.12
Heats 2013 Barcelona, ESP 800m Freestyle 8:08.71
Heats 2013 Barcelona, ESP 400m Individual Medley 4:23.99
Heats 2013 Barcelona, ESP 400m Freestyle 3:54.67
Heat 2011 Shanghai, CHN 800m Freestyle 8:17.83
World Championships Short Course
Rank Year Venue Event Result
Heats 2022 Melbourne, VIC, AUS 200m Breaststroke 2:04.99
Heats 2022 Melbourne, VIC, AUS 50m Breaststroke  DNS
Heats 2022 Melbourne, VIC, AUS 100m Breaststroke 58.01
Heats 2018 Hangzhou, CHN 200m Breaststroke 2:04.37
Heats 2018 Hangzhou, CHN 50m Breaststroke 26.74
Semifinal 2018 Hangzhou, CHN 100m Breaststroke 57.94
Heats 2012 Istanbul, TUR 400m Individual Medley  DSQ
20 2012 Istanbul, TUR 1500m Freestyle 15:00.51
Heats 2012 Istanbul, TUR 400m Freestyle 3:47.83
Heats 2012 Istanbul, TUR 100m Breaststroke 59.85
European Championships
Rank Year Venue Event Result
6 2022 Rome, ITA 200m Breaststroke 2:10.96
Semifinal 2018 Glasgow, SCO 100m Breaststroke 1:00.45
8 2016 London, ENG 200m Breaststroke 2:11.73
7 2016 London, ENG 100m Breaststroke 1:01.29
Heats 2016 London, ENG 50m Breaststroke 28.59
Heats 2012 Debrecen, HUN 1500m Freestyle 15:39.63
Heats 2012 Debrecen, HUN 800m Freestyle 8:08.58
Heats 2012 Debrecen, HUN 400m Individual Medley 4:26.46
European Championships Short Course
Rank Year Venue Event Result
2 2023 Otopeni, ROU 200m Breaststroke 2:02.74
Semifinal 2023 Otopeni, ROU 100m Breaststroke 58.12
Semifinal 2021 Kazan, RUS 200m Breaststroke 2:06.03
Heats 2021 Kazan, RUS 50m Breaststroke  DNS
Semifinal 2021 Kazan, RUS 100m Breaststroke 58.23
4 2019 Glasgow, SCO 200m Breaststroke 2:02.94
6 2019 Glasgow, SCO 100m Breaststroke 56.79
7 2019 Glasgow, SCO 50m Breaststroke 26.14
Heats 2019 Glasgow, SCO 4 x 50m Medley Relay