{"id":507341,"date":"2022-06-22T09:51:31","date_gmt":"2022-06-22T16:51:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=507341"},"modified":"2022-06-22T13:11:33","modified_gmt":"2022-06-22T20:11:33","slug":"world-championships-kylie-masse-wins-50-backstroke-for-third-world-title-berkoff-pigree-on-podium","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/world-championships-kylie-masse-wins-50-backstroke-for-third-world-title-berkoff-pigree-on-podium\/","title":{"rendered":"World Championships: Kylie Masse Wins 50 Backstroke for Third World Title; Berkoff, Pigree on Podium"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kylie Masse<\/strong> has earned multiple world championships, including becoming the first Canadian swimmer to defend a world title, claiming gold in the 100 backstroke in 2017 and 2019.<\/p>\n

She then won the Commonwealth Games gold in both backstroke events and claimed gold in the Pan Pacific Championships in 2018.<\/p>\n

But she still enters many races as an underdog as she came of age with a new wave of elite backstrokers, a generation full of world championship and Olympic medal contenders.<\/p>\n

After earning Olympic medals in the 100 and 200 backstroke in Tokyo, she was outdueled by Regan Smith<\/strong> of the U.S. in the 100 backstroke this week in Budapest at the World Championships, unable to make it three world titles in a row in the event.<\/p>\n

But Masse\u2019s week was far from over.<\/p>\n

The most decorated Canadian Olympian dominated the 50 backstroke on Wednesday, toughing the wall in a stunning 27.31 to claim her third individual world championship, this one coming in a new event.<\/p>\n

USA\u2019s Katharine Berkoff<\/strong> won the silver in 27.39, just eight hundredths of a second behind Masse.<\/p>\n

France\u2019s Analiza Pigree<\/strong> earned a spot on the podium with a swim of 27.40, just a hundredth of a second behind Berkoff.<\/p>\n

Another Canadian star was just off the podium as Ingrid Wilm<\/strong> was four in 27.43.<\/p>\n

USA\u2019s Regan Smith<\/strong> and Australia\u2019s Kaylee McKeown<\/strong> tied for fifth at 27.47, not quite able to put together medal contending swims in this race.<\/p>\n

Great Britain\u2019s Medi Eira Harris<\/strong>, who won the swim-off to get4 th e final spot int he finals, finished seventh in 27.72, while Kira<\/strong> Toussaint<\/strong> of the Netherlands took eighth in 27.80.<\/p>\n