WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS, Day 6, Women’s Finals: Kaylee McKeown Confirms Her Status As The Queen Of World Backstroking with her Golden Double
Australia’s backstroking queen Kaylee McKeown has swum her way into the annals of international swimming with her all-the-way victory in the 200m backstroke – winning Australia’s 12th gold medal on the final night of the 16th World Short Course Championships in Melbourne.
The 21-year-old completed the 100-200m double, confirming her status as the world’s premier backstroker – the 2020 Olympic champion and world record holder over short and long course adding the World Short Course title to this year’s Long Course crown in Budapest and the Commonwealth Games gold in Birmingham.
But McKeown had to withstand the turning power of US World Championships silver medallist Claire Curzan, who kept the pressure on the Australian off every wall – until McKeown upped her stroke-rate over the final 75 metres to touch the wall in 1:59.26 (13.28;27.87;58.26l 1:28.92) with Curzan second in 2:00.53 and Kylie Masse (CAN) third in 2.01.26.
“It has been an amazing meet on your home soil it even lifts the adrenaline even more, swimming outside we never get a home crowd like this, it’s just amazing,” said McKeown, who joins Mai Nakamura (1999), Kirsty Coventry (2009) and Katinka Hosszu (2014, 2016) as winners of the 100-200m backstroke double
Australia’s legendary Susie O’Neill held every 200m butterfly title from 1994 through 1999 – which included Olympic gold in 1996, Pan Pac gold in 1995, 1997 and 1999; World Championships gold in 1998; World Short Course gold in 1995 and Commonwealth Games gold in 1994 and 1998.
