Regan Smith Clips Isabelle Stadden in 100 Backstroke Showdown at Fort Lauderdale Open
In what was a race more reflective of a major international competition, rather than a domestic meet, Regan Smith and Isabelle Stadden put on a show in the 100-meter backstroke on Saturday night. Racing at the Fort Lauderdale Open, Smith narrowly edged Stadden as both women dipped below the 58-second barrier, with Stadden moving to No. 3 on the all-time performer list.
The world-record holder, Smith registered a time of 57.49, which was just ahead of the 57.55 produced by Stadden. Finishing third was Katharine Berkoff (58.86), while Erika Pelaez also cracked the one-minute barrier, going 59.78. Smith’s time is the fastest of 2026, bettering the 57.91 she managed while competing at the China Open in March. More, the time was the sixth-fastest of Smith’s career.
Smith was also the winner of the 200 individual medley, where she generated a time of 2:10.63 to narrowly finish ahead of the 2:10.70 by Alex Walsh.
For Stadden, her runnerup performance was the latest major step for the veteran, now training with the pro group at the University of Virginia. Ahead of the 100 backstroke, Stadden won the 50 backstroke and 200 backstroke, her time in the longer distance making her the No. 4 performer of all-time. She moved even higher up the all-time chart in the 100 back, as Stadden now only trails Smith (57.13) and Australian Kaylee McKeown (57.16) on an historical basis.