She then joined Olympic great Danyon Loader as the most successful New Zealand swimmer at a world championships when she collected her third bronze in her favoured distance of 800m.
Her swim in the 800m final - won by American teen phenom Katie Ledecky in world record time - was particularly impressive. Boyle took 2.5 seconds off her personal best, lowering her own national record set at the 2012 London Olympics and claiming an Oceania record.
Boyle's success this year says a lot for her mental strength and tenacity having overcome the disappointment of finishing fourth in the 800m at the London Games.
For anyone who's seen her post-race interview, it is one of New Zealand sport's more emotional television moments. Lump-in-the-throat time.
A YouTube video posted in February offers a summary of her feelings at that moment.
She says: "It's kind of hard to come fourth. It's kind of a crappy position. It can really eat away at you if you're not careful.
"I hope that I gain even more confidence from it and work through issues that I have with the placing I got."
It appears she has.