World Championships, Day Two Prelims: Regan Smith and Kaylee McKeown Take First Steps Toward 100 Backstroke Showdown

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World Championships, Day Two Prelims: Regan Smith and Kaylee McKeown Take First Steps Toward 100 Backstroke Showdown

Heading into the World Championships, multiple events offered enticing potential for rivalry showdowns, including the women’s 100-meter backstroke. And as the preliminaries in the event opened on Monday morning, American Regan Smith and Australian Kaylee McKeown took first steps toward a title showdown.

The reigning world champion, Smith posted the fastest time of the session, clocking in at 58.47. In the next heat, McKeown erased the early lead of Canadian Kyle Masse to prevail in 58.90. Smith and McKeown turned in the only sub-59 performances of the morning, although the United States’ Katharine Berkoff was not far off with a third-seeded showing of 59.04. Masse was next in 59.14.

Smith has been sensational since turning professional and moving her training base from Stanford University to Arizona State and the group overseen by coach Bob Bowman. Smith enters the World Champs on a roll, having doubled in both backstrokes at the United States Trials, along with winning the 200 butterfly. She has also shined in the 100 butterfly and 200 individual medley.

McKeown was initially expected to balance a double during the evening session – the final of the 200 individual medley and semifinals of the 100 backstroke. However, she was disqualified in the semifinals of the 200 medley for an illegal turn during the backstroke to breaststroke transition. Perhaps that miscue will provide further motivation for McKeown in the three backstroke events.

While McKeown is the world-record holder at 57.45, Smith and Masse have also held the world record during their careers, making this the second women’s event of the meet to have a trio of world-record holders. The women’s 400 freestyle also made that claim with Ariarne Titmus, Katie Ledecky and Summer McIntosh.

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