Australian Trials: Kaylee McKeown Shakes The Life Out Of Her Own 100m Backstroke World Record With A Sizzling 57.50
Olympic champion Kaylee McKeown has shaken the life out of her own 100m backstroke world record on night two of the Australian Trials in Melbourne tonight – stopping the clock at 57.50 – a mere five one-hundredths of a second outside her own global mark set in 2021.
The 21-year-old stormed home down the second 50m after turning in 28.27 – just 0.17 outside her world record split from the Tokyo Olympic Trials.
SCRATCHING THE SURFACE: You get the feeling Kaylee McKeown’s world record is under siege. Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr Swimming Australia
And with the crowd at the Melbourne Sports And Aquatic Centre cheering her on, McKeown pushed within a fingernail of her own mark, lunging at the wall after a final 50m split of 29.23 – faster than her WR last lap of 29.35.
It was the third fastest time in history – behind that world record and her own Olympic record of 57.47 set when she won Olympic gold in Tokyo.
McKeown (Griffith University, QLD) now has four of the fastest five times ever swum with her fourth fastest time of 57.63 sitting behind American Regan Smith’s previous world mark of 57.57 set in Gwangju, when she led off the gold medal winning US relay at the 2019 World Championships.
HEAR HEAR! Kaylee McKeown nails the third fastest ever 100m backstroke time en-route to Fukuoka. Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr Swimming Australia
Although the US Trials are yet to be swum, the stage is almost set for what is sure to be one of the great shoot-outs of the World Championships in Fukuoka.
McKeown down played her performance saying: “It’s really nice…the main event (the World Championships) are yet to come but it puts me in a good position…and there will be faster girls in a few weeks time.”
The dual Olympic champion and world record holder was also quick to praise her close friend and fellow Australian team member Mollie O’Callaghan (St Peters Western, QLD) who finished second in 58.42, equalling her best time and like McKeown under the Australian qualifying time of 59.99 – giving the Dolphins a strong two-pronged attack for Fukuoka.
“If Mollie wasn’t right there pushing me all the way I would never have swum that fast,” said McKeown.
Western Australian 17-year-old rising star Iona Anderson (Breakers, WA) finished third in her personal best time of 1:00.05.
GOTCHA BACK: Australia’s 1-2 lunch in the women’s 100m backstroke Kaylee McKeown and Mollie O’Callaghan. Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr Swimming g Australia.
Well done! A great result