NSW State Championships, Night Two Finals: Kaylee McKeown Nudges 100 Backstroke World Record With A Sizzling 57.57

2023 World Trials Night 4 Kaylee McKeown post race smile
WORLD RECORD CHASER: Kaylee McKeown has plenty to smile about. Photo Courtesy Delly Carr (Swimming Australia)
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NSW State Championships, Night 2 Finals: Kaylee McKeown Nudges 100m Backstroke World Record With A Sizzling 57.57

Kaylee McKeown has continued her world backstroking domination in Sydney tonight – chasing her own world record to the very last strokes of the 100m backstroke final stopping the clock at 57.57 – just missing her own world mark set last year by just 0.24.

The 22-year-old was exactly 0.12 outside both 50m splits when she set the new WR to win the Budapest World Cup last October – clocking the equal sixth fastest time in history – the fastest five owned by McKeown – tonight’s time she shares with US rival Regan Smith.

Tonight, McKeown set off down the first lap, splitting 28.27 compared to 28.15 in Budapest and finished off in 29.30 compared to her second lap 29.18 when she broke the world record.

Ironically the Olympic champion’s Budapest world mark of 57.33 had actually cut a 0.12 margin from her previous world record of 57.45 set at the Australian Trials ahead of Tokyo 2020.

The 22-year-old holds all the long course backstroke world records after adding the 50m mark of 26.86 in the Budapest meet and her 2:03.14 in the 200m from March last year – and signalling the start of her serious push to Paris – clocking 2:04.21 to win the 200m backstroke.

And she had some world class opponents next to her tonight with Mollie O’Callaghan (St Peters Western, QLD) also just outside her own personal best, clocking 58.71 with 2019 World Championship silver medallist Minna Atherton (Bond, QLD) third in 1:01.42.

McKeown spoke of Paris and her events after the race, revealing that she was getting ready to race the 400IM but would not add the “gruelling and painful” medley to her Olympic program – but confirming she would certainly include the 200IM alongside her defence of her 100 and 200m backstroke crowns.

McKeown was also asked how she is able to swim so fast at this time of the year, when so many other swimmers struggle, McKeown putting it down to that fact that she was “one of the lucky ones who could swim the same times throughout the season.”

“I just have to trust my training and keep pushing it…every race to me is an opportunity to get up and try my best,” said McKeown.

“I am going to do that from the get-go and all the way to Paris (fingers crossed)…I am always learning and always trying to find something to improve on but once you are up in the top one percent  then 0.10 is hard to find.

“And without a doubt it’s hard to get back into training to find something to work on but I’m the kind of person who believes in my program and my coach (Michael Bohl) especially and if he believes I can swim faster I have to believe in him as well.

Asked what areas she thought she could improve on; the always cagey McKeown was not going to give anything away saying “Absolutely…but I’ll keep those to myself though!”

And on her rivalry with US star Regan Smith, McKeown said: “There has always got to be a rivalry if it’s between Regan and I or somebody else that’s what makes the sport exiting.

“I’m glad Regan is pushing really hard, (it means) I have something to chase now and the target is off my back….but I’ve still got to train hard.”

The Top Ten Fastest Women’s 100m backstroke times in history:

57.33 Kaylee McKeown (AUS)

57.45 Kaylee McKeown

57.47 Kaylee McKeown

57.50 Kaylee McKeown

57.53 Kaylee McKeown

57.57 Kaylee McKeown/Regan Smith (USA)

56.63 Kaylee McKeown)

56.63 Kaylee McKeown)

57.64 Regan Smith

2024 NSW State Swimming Championships, Day 2, FINALS:

WOMEN

50m freestyle

  1. Bronte Campbell (Cruiz, ACT) 24.64
  2. Emma McKeon (Griffith University, QLD) 24.83
  3. Mollie O’Callaghan (St Peters Western, QLD) 24.83

50m freestyle Multi-Class

  1. Jasmine Greenwood (Cruiz, ACT) 29.02
  2. Madeleine McTernan (Sharks Aquatic, QLD) 28.35
  3. Taylor Corry (Kincumber Pacific Dolphins, NSW) 28.56

400m freestyle

  1. Ariarne Titmus (St Peters Western, QLD) 4:02.39
  2. Lani Pallister (Griffith University, QLD) 4:02.65
  3. Jamie Perkins (St Peters Western, QLD) 4:10.47

400m freestyle Multi-Class

  1. Ella Jones (Kincumber Pacific Dolphins, NSW) 5:08.47
  2. Michelle Fawer (Engadine, NSW) 5:05.90
  3. Emilee Pratt (Novocastrian, NSW) 5:23.30

100m backstroke

  1. Kaylee McKeown (Griffith University, QLD) 57.57
  2. Mollie O’Callaghan (St Peters Western, QLD) 58.71
  3. Minna Atherton (Bond, QLD) 1:01.42

200m breaststroke

  1. Jenna Strauch (Miami, QLD) 2:24.33
  2. Matilda Smith (Miami, QLD) 2:26.67
  3. Tara Kinder (Melbourne Vicentre, VIC) 2:29.00

100m, breaststroke Multi-Class

  1. Ashley Van Rijswijk (Wagga Wagga,NSW) 1:20.10
  2. Paige Leonhardt (Sharks Aquatic, QLD) 1:20.74
  3. Rugby Storm (St Andrews, QLD) 1:22.01

100m butterfly

  1. Emma McKeon (Griffith University, QLD) 57.37
  2. Alexandria Perkins (USC Spartans, QLD) 57.71
  3. Isabella Boyd (Nunawading, VIC) 58.56

MEN

50m freestyle Multi-Class

  1. Alexander Tuckfield (Southern Sydney Swim Club, NSW) 25.43
  2. Alex Saffy (Bunbury, WA) 26.23
  3. Beau Matthews (Southern Sydney Swim Club, NSW) 26.29

200m freestyle

  1. Flynn Southam (Bond, QLD) 1:48.28
  2. Maximillian Giuliani (Miami, QLD) 1:48.53
  3. Alex Graham (Miami, QLD) 1:48.711

400m freestyle Multi-Class

  1. Harrison Vig (Uni of QLD Swim Club) 4:31.08
  2. Daniel Rigby (Knox Pymble, NSW) 5:05.76
  3. Jack Carey (SOSC, NSW) 4:36.87

800m freestyle

  1. Matthew Galea (SOSC, NSW) 7:59.96
  2. Benjamin Goedemans (St Peters Western, QLD) 7:59.97
  3. Lachlan Walker (Bond, QLD) 8:05.37

200m backstroke

  1. Se-Bom Lee (SOSC, NSW)1:59.29
  2. Joshua Edwards-Smith (Griffith University, QLD) 1:59.94
  3. Marius Bol (Carlile, NSW) 2:01.10

100m breaststroke

  1. Matthew Wilson (SOSC, NSW) 1:01.19
  2. Joshua Collett (Bond, QLD) 1:01.71
  3. Haigh Buckingham (SOSC, NSW) 1:02.10

100m breaststroke Multi-Class

  1. Riley Moore (Woy Woy, NSW) 1:13.51
  2. Alex Saffy (Bunbury, WA) 1:15.49
  3. Jesse Aungels (Cruiz, ACT) 1:24.37

50m butterfly

  1. Ben Armbruster (Bond, QLD)n23.64
  2. Matthew Temple (Marion, SA) 23.80
  3. Shaun Champion (Abbotsleigh, NSW) 24.08

200m individual medley

  1. William Petric (Nunawading, VIC) 1:58.78
  2. Clyde Lewis (St Peters Western, QLD) 2:02.00
  3. Marco Soesanto (Melbourne Vicentre, VIC) 2:03.75
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