Paris Olympics, Day 4 Finals: Kaylee McKeown Tops Regan Smith to Repeat as 100 Backstroke Olympic Champion

Kaylee McKeown -- Photo Courtesy: Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto

Paris Olympics, Day 4 Finals: Kaylee McKeown Tops Regan Smith to Repeat as 100 Backstroke Olympic Champion

The first time Kaylee McKeown and Regan Smith raced each other was at the 2017 World Championships, when Smith was 15 years old and McKeown had just turned 16. Neither won a medal that night (Smith actually fell to eighth), but that moment foreshadowed a long backstroking rivalry between the two.

Smith was the first to break a world record, taking down marks in both the 200 back and 100 back at the 2019 Worlds, but McKeown was victorious in both events on the Olympic stage. At last year’s World Championships, the last time the two met prior to the Paris Games, McKeown got the gold in all three backstroke races, all at Smith’s expense.

But the U.S. Olympic Trials last month saw Smith fire back, taking down McKeown’s 100 back world record in fiery fashion. McKeown woke up on a Wednesday morning to learn about the record without an ounce of surprise.

“One of my favorite sayings is, ‘world records are meant to be broken,’ and that’s what I was expecting after our Trials,” McKeown said. “She’s been in form all year. Having that, it’s been an extra motivation for me in these Olympics, but it’s never been something I’ve put all my focus into.”

In Paris, McKeown and Smith would surely meet in a pair of gold-medal finals, with the pair considered a virtual lock to occupy the top-two spots in some order. Round one come in the 100-meter race, and accordingly, Smith and McKeown would swim in the center lanes, the American in four and the Australian in five.

And once again, McKeown has come from behind to overtake Smith at a critical juncture, securing her second consecutive Olympic gold in the event.

The race was almost dead even through the halfway point, with Smith and Canada’s Kylie Masse each flipping at 28.02, just eight hundredths shy of world-record pace, but McKeown and the United States’ Katharine Berkoff were just hundredths behind. Off the turn, Smith’s underwater dolphin kicks propelled her ahead, but Berkoff was not done, and neither was McKeown.

Kaylee McKeown (right) with Australian teammate Iona Anderson — Photo Courtesy: Andrea Masini / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto

In previous major finals matching up the duo, Smith has taken the early lead, only for McKeown to come charging back, but when Smith broke the world record at last month’s Trials, she went out under world-record pace and then fell a mere one hundredth shy of equaling McKeown’s second-length split. This time, McKeown stayed close enough to put herself in an ideal position.

In the final 15 meters, the medals sorted themselves out: Berkoff fell slightly behind, and then so did Smith as McKeown reached to the wall in 57.33. That tied her best time, which had stood as the world record until last month and remains the Australian, Commonwealth and Oceanic records.

“It feels surreal to be honest with you, and I wasn’t sure if I’d be any good there tonight. I didn’t put expectations on myself, I was going to get out and enjoy the atmosphere, and that’s the best you can do for yourself,” McKeown said. “I knew it was going to come down to the last five meters. We’re both extremely good athletes, and both extremely good trainers, so it’s just who feels better on the day, and she pushed me the whole way through.”

World Record: Regan Smith, USA – 57.13 (2024)
Olympic Record: Kaylee McKeown, Australia – 57.47 (2021)
Tokyo Olympic Champion: Kaylee McKeown, Australia – 57.47

Smith took second in 57.66, earning her fourth Olympic medal and third silver, while Berkoff reached the podium with a bronze-medal time of 57.98. Those medals were the 598th and 599th that the United States has ever collected in the pool, and the two medals brought the American total to 3000 when combining medals from the Summer and Winter Games.

Masse, the winner of bronze in the event in 2016 and silver in 2021, came up just shy of reaching the podium for a third consecutive Olympics as she finished fourth in 58.29. Australia’s Iona Anderson was the only other swimmer to break 59 with her mark of 58.98.

Despite finishing short of her world record and losing ground to McKeown on the final length, Smith showed genuine pride in her performance.

“I’ve been saying the entire time I was here, ‘Good, better best,’ and that’s exactly what I did,” Smith said. “Ultimately, other people’s performances are completely out of my control, and Kaylee, she’s one of one. She is an absolutely incredible racer, and she knows what to do when it matters.

“But I’m really proud of myself. I’m proud that I was able to drop from semis. That’s something that I’ve struggled with a lot in the past, and I stayed in my own lane. I executed my own race plan, and I left it all in the pool.”

Berkoff’s first Olympic medal made her the second member of her family to reach the podium in this event. Her father, David Berkoff, took silver in the 100 back in 1988 and bronze in 1992, 32 years to the day before his daughter would reach the same achievement.

“It’s just super special. I’ve been dreaming of being at the Olympics for my whole life. I definitely have more goals and not quite satisfied yet, but seriously, so grateful to be here and get another medal for Team USA. It’s been such an amazing experience here, and I’m so grateful to be here,” Berkoff said.

On her father, she added, “He was my first inspiration. I wouldn’t be here today without him. As soon as I figured out what he had done, I decided I wanted to do the same thing. It’s just been really special to follow in his footsteps and just take steps toward my ultimate goal.”

An Australian Legend

McKeown became only the second woman to defend Olympic gold in the 100 back, following Natalie Coughlin in 2004 and 2008. McKeown was also trying to become only the second Australian woman to win two consecutive Olympic gold medals in an individual swimming race. Ariarne Titmus joined those ranks earlier this week in the 400 freestyle, following Dawn Fraser’s three consecutive 100 free crowns in 1956, 1960 and 1964. The win also made McKeown the third Australian to have three individual Olympic gold medals for their careers.

After McKeown received her gold medal, she reunited with her mother, Sharon, and sister, Taylor, who was a former Australian national team swimmer. When McKeown won gold in Tokyo, it was a year after her father, Sholto, had passed away while Sharon and Taylor had to watch from home because of COVID-19 restrictions. This time, they were poolside.

“My mom didn’t really have words. My sister kind of let a bit of an F-bomb slide out,” McKeown said. “I expect that from my family. It’s amazing having them in the stands, people who have put you in position to be able to fulfill your dreams.”

Also present was Michael Bohl, the coach who McKeown teamed up with after Tokyo, and she credited the veteran of six Olympics as an ideal partner in the journey back to the top of the podium. “Bohly has got to be one of my favorite people in the world,” McKeown said. “He’s so relaxed, so calm, and me being such an anxious person, it’s a perfect combination. He can see it in my eyes when I’m getting too far ahead of myself, and he goes, ‘Kaylee, just relax.’ Honestly, it’s the most soothing thing.”

The Rivalry Continues

Regan Smith — Photo Courtesy: Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto

Over the past five years, Smith and McKeown have collectively lifted this event to new heights. The first decade following the ban on full-body polyurethane suits saw tiny drops in the world record, from 58.12 to 58.00, before Smith became the first woman under 58 with a dramatic relay leadoff at the 2019 Worlds. She actually did not swim the 100 back at that meet, but her world-record-setting effort and gold medal in the 200 back at that meet convinced the U.S. coaching staff to give her medley relay duties.

Two years later, McKeown would take that record down to 57.47, and then she went 57.33 last year before Smith achieved the latest global mark at the U.S. Olympic Trials. Three other woman have followed these two under 58 — with Masse and Berkoff in this final while Mollie O’Callaghan skipped the event to focus on her freestyle swims — but entering the Olympic final, McKeown and Smith combined to own the top-15 times in history, nine by McKeown and six from Smith. The performances in the Olympic final, of course, made it the top-17.

Outside the pool, McKeown and Smith rarely see each other since they live on opposite sides of the world, but they maintain a cordial relationship, with Smith revealing prior to the Olympics how McKeown sent her an Instagram message kindly congratulating her on the record. But their year-after-year backstroking excellence has made this competition a staple of major international meets.

“I think Regan pushes me to the best of my abilities, and I do the same for her,” McKeown said. “We had a special moment after the race, I don’t know if you guys saw, just thanking one another because I wouldn’t be the athlete I am if it wasn’t for her. I couldn’t say ‘thank you’ enough to the people push me every single day and keep me determined to keep on pushing.”

Smith added, “I want to call it a rivalry because we have traded world records and things like that, but she’s always good at getting it done when it matters, so I want to give her the credit where it’s due. With all that said, I’m incredibly proud that we have really solidified ourselves as the two fastest women in backstroke history, and that’s really special to be a part of. She’s a great racer and a very genuine and respectful person, and I think we have a really great relationship.”

And they still have at least two more high-stakes matchups in Paris, in the 200 back and as leadoff swimmers on the women’s 400 medley relay, with the mixed 400 medley relay also a possibility. Here, McKeown got the gold medal, but Smith is not done in Paris yet.

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Kanga1

4 months ago

Oh Kaylee then!
Another Aussie Gold!
Still leading the swimming table.
Hopefully still a Lot more to come!