Sunday, 13 June 2021

Kylee McKeown Drops 57.45 to Break Regan Smith’s World Record in the 100 Back | SwimSwam

By Anne Lepesant on SwimSwam

Kaylee McKeown

Swimming Australia Olympic Trials

Podium:

  1. Kaylee McKeown (USCS) – 57.45
  2. Emily Seebohm (GUSC) – 58.59
  3. Mollie O’Callaghan (STPTET) – 58.86

Swimming in the final of the women’s 100 backstroke at the 2021 Australian Olympic Trials, 19-year-old Kaylee McKeown from USC Spartans broke the World Record of 57.57 set by Regan Smith at 2019 World Championships in Gwan. McKeown cracked a 57.45 to take .12 off Smith’s mark. McKeown was out in 28.10 and back in 29.35, beating her previous PB of 57.63 from a month ago in Sydney.

It was an emotional win for McKeown who lost her father to cancer 10 months ago. She swam a disciplined race, getting off to a strong start, kicking 11 times off each wall and coming in with a perfect touch at the end. She led by nearly half a body length before taking her first stroke and was up by about 3/10 at the 50 wall. Her second 50 was almost a second faster than runner-up Emily Seebohm. Seebohm, who has been on the National Team since she was 14, was hoping to join Leisel Jones as the only Australian swimmers to compete at four Olympic Games. She pulled it off with a second-place finish of 58.59.

Smith had broken the WR leading off the USA’s 400 medley relay at World Championships with 57.57. She had gone out in 27.74 and come home in 29.83.

Comparative splits:

  Regan Smith, 2019 Kaylee McKeown, 2021
1st 50 27.74 28.10
2nd 50 29.83 29.35
  57.57 57.45

Read the full story on SwimSwam: Kylee McKeown Drops 57.45 to Break Regan Smith’s World Record in the 100 Back

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