Olympics Mini Feature: Kaylee McKeown-Regan Smith Rivalry Set for Next Chapter
A scroll through the all-time performances list for women’s backstroke tells a simple story: Kaylee McKeown and Regan Smith have been dominant. How about these stats? McKeown and Smith account for the 15-fastest marks in the history of the 100-meter backstroke. In the 200 backstroke, the Australian and American stars are the only sub-2:04 performers and own 17 of the 18-fastest swims ever produced.
So, it’s not hard to understand why their impending duels at the Olympic Games in Paris have been tabbed as can’t-miss spectacles.
The McKeown-Smith rivalry – deeply respectful in nature – is already five years old. It debuted at the 2019 edition of the World Championships in Korea, where Smith set a world record in the 200 backstroke and comfortably beat McKeown for gold. In the ensuing years, however, McKeown gained the upper hand in the battle.
At the Olympic Games in Tokyo, the Aussie enjoyed a backstroke double, which included a triumph over Smith in the 100 distance. Along the way, she also snared world records in both backstrokes and, at the 2023 World Championships, McKeown mined gold in the 50 back, 100 back and 200 back, with Smith the silver medalist on all three occasions.
Outside of global competition, the rivalry has been enhanced by the athletes’ ability to repeatedly deliver swift times during training. They have been especially show-stopping in the 100 backstroke, with 57-second outings the norm.
“I’m actually excited to be challenged and to be pushed, not just from (Smith), but worldwide,” McKeown said. “So I think there’s going to be so much competition left right and center. That’s why I love competing. It’s just that adrenaline rush that you don’t get to feel on a daily basis.”
Momentum is certainly on the side of both McKeown and Smith as they prepare for Paris. While McKeown shined at the Australian Olympic Trials, Smith was a headliner at the U.S. Trials, where she blasted a world record of 57.13 in the 100 back to erase McKeown’s name from the record book. McKeown, Smith revealed during a press conference in Paris, sent a heartfelt congratulatory message on social media after Smith broke the world record.
Come these Olympic Games, it won’t be surprising if world records are required for gold, with the 57 and 2:03 barriers under assault. For Smith, she has accepted that the atmosphere surrounding her is much different than five years ago, when she burst onto the global scene without a trace of pressure.
“The expectations are a lot different,” Smith said. “So, it’s a very different experience. but I’ve learned a lot over these five years, and I’ve had a lot of lows, in backstroke, in particular. But I think it’s taught me a lot and it’s helped me strengthen things on the mental side. I think I’ve always had it physically. I just for a long time didn’t have it mentally.”
