Triple Olympic champ Kaylee McKeown knows this is her year to gamble on expanding her swim program as she eyes potentially one of the largest golden hauls in Commonwealth Games history at Birmingham in July.

McKeown has surprised herself with how she’s responded from major life changes since her three gold medals at last year’s Olympic Games in Tokyo, relocating from the Sunshine Coast to the Gold Coast under new coach Michael Bohl.

Even as she recovers from a shoulder injury McKeown has managed recent race times faster than she swum in Tokyo, raising hopes she will have a “red-hot crack” at peaking for both the world titles in Budapest from June 18 and the Commonwealth Games five weeks later.

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And she may add at least two more individual races to her program — the 50m backstroke and 200m medley — for the Games, although the 400m medley remains an unlikely option despite being ranked as the fastest in the world.

If she added all three she could match Ian Thorpe and Susie O’Neill’s six-gold medal Commonwealth Games records — but McKeown knows she must be realistic and think only of what’s best for the 2024 Paris Olympic plans.

McKeown dropped the medley races prior to Tokyo but after claiming gold in both the 100m and 200m backstroke at the Olympics she knows program changes must be workshopped in 2022 to be race ready for Paris.

“I’m not going to lie, I hate swimming the 400 IM so if I can get out of that I definitely will, but I do love the 200 medley so we will see what happens,” McKeown said.

“It could be something to look out for that is for sure.

”You want to have this (year) as a pathway and step to eventually getting behind the blocks at an Olympics and not only doing two individual events but potentially three or four.”

McKeown appeared settled and content in her new surrounds, joining boyfriend Brendan Smith at Kurrawa beach on Wednesday for an exclusive first look at the Commonwealth Games Queen’s baton as it begins the journey from the Gold Coast to Birmingham on Thursday.

Smith has joined McKeown in Bohl’s super squad, relocating from Melbourne after his breakthrough Olympic bronze medal in the 400m medley last year.

Speaking for the first time about her move, McKeown said she was primarily drawn to a move to Bohl’s squad by her sister Taylor and knowing the calibre of talent in that pool that can elevate her own performance.

“(Family) was probably 90 per cent of my reasoning to move down to the Gold Coast,” she said. “My mum is moving down to the hinterland and Taylor is already down here so it was going to be quite lonely for me and I’m a big family and friends person, so to not have that support there I knew I would struggle.

“I think the move not only swimming wise but outside of the pool wise has been really good for me.

“I think surrounding yourself with people who are driven and motivated really does put you up in a level of training that you may not be able to reach in certain squads and surrounding myself with those sorts of people will inevitably make me a better swimmer.

“I think it was just the right path for me to go down if I wanted to make myself a better person and grow mentally and physically as well.”

Like McKeown, Smith is keen to chase medals at the world titles and Commonwealth Games provided it remains safe to travel to Budapest considering Hungary shares a border with Ukraine.

He may even look to add some freestyle events to his program as he adapts to life in the Bohl program where athletes, like Australia’s most successful Olympian Emma McKeon, thrive on heavy race schedules.

“Yeah it’s a really star-studded program ... it’s pretty insane,” he said. ”I want to be 100 per cent ready for world championships then back up for Commonwealth Games.”