Backstroking queen Kaylee McKeown has tonight swum into a realm where only she and US rival Regan Smith have ventured as she chased her first personal in three years – her own world record – on night four of the Australian Trials at the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre.
And the unstoppable McKeown, who has battled illness coming into the meet, was on world record pace for the first 100m of her 200m backstroke final, dropping off in the final stages, but still stopping the clock at 2:03.98 – her eighth time under 2:04.00.
The 24-year-old out in 29.00 (0.34) for the first 50m faster than she herself split in 2023 when she set the world record at 2:03.14 at this same pool.
Staying just under the 100m split at 1:00.58 before drifting marginally over at the 150m mark, turning in 1:32.08.
Saying after the race she was chasing a personal best as “I hadn’t swum one in three years…I wanted to go out hard and then see what I could come back in..closing my eyes and going for it down the last lap.”
McKeown was well under the qualifying time for the Commonwealth Games and Pan Pacs and will be joined by fellow Olympian Iona Anderson (Highlanders, WA) who did swim a big personal best to join McKeown on the Dolphins teams – swimming 2:07.59 to jump into the Australian all-time top 10.
With Hannah Fredericks (St Peters Western, QLD) third in 2:07.99 – just outside the qualifying team.
Female 200m backstroke swims under 2:04.00
2:03.14 Kaylee McKeown
2:03.30 Kaylee McKeown
2:03.33 Kaylee McKeown
2:03.35 Regan Smith
2:03.69 Regan Smith
2:03.70 Kaylee McKeown
2:03.73 Kaylee McKeown
2:03.80 Regan Smith
2:03.84 Kaylee McKeown
2:03.85 Kaylee McKeown
2:03.98 Kaylee McKeown
2:03.99 Regan Smith