{"id":384162,"date":"2019-07-27T14:10:33","date_gmt":"2019-07-27T21:10:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=384162"},"modified":"2019-07-27T14:20:31","modified_gmt":"2019-07-27T21:20:31","slug":"regan-smith-secures-first-world-title-in-200-back-just-misses-wr-with-203-69","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/regan-smith-secures-first-world-title-in-200-back-just-misses-wr-with-203-69\/","title":{"rendered":"Regan Smith Secures First World Title in 200 Back, Just Misses Own WR With 2:03.69 (Race Video)"},"content":{"rendered":"

World Swimming Championships\u00a0Regan Smith<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Gwangju 2019<\/em><\/p>\n

Day Seven Finals<\/em><\/p>\n

Women’s 200 Back<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

After taking down a legendary world record in the semifinals<\/a>, Regan Smith <\/strong>of the United States won her first international gold medal with an utterly dominant performance. Smith went out well under world record-pace, flipping at the 100 in 59.45, well ahead of her 1:00.37 halfway split from the night before. Smith remained on pace for another record-breaking swim at the 150, only to fade slightly down the stretch.<\/p>\n

Smith ended up touching the wall in 2:03.69, just shy of her 2:03.35 from Friday’s semifinals but still well ahead of the previous world record, Missy Franklin’s <\/strong>2:04.06 from the London Olympics. No matter, as Smith crushed the field by more than two and a half seconds. Thrilled with her semifinal world record, Smith “was looking to see where I could take it” in the final, and even if she faded down the stretch<\/p>\n

Australia’s Kaylee McKeown<\/strong>, who actually held the world junior record in the event before Smith, took the silver in 2:06.26, while Canada’s\u00a0Kylie Masse<\/strong> edged out Italy’s\u00a0Margherita Panziera\u00a0<\/strong>for bronze, 2:06.62 to 2:06.67.<\/p>\n