{"id":528376,"date":"2023-05-12T08:00:44","date_gmt":"2023-05-12T15:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=528376"},"modified":"2023-05-12T16:06:31","modified_gmt":"2023-05-12T23:06:31","slug":"kaylee-mckeown-unleashes-207-19-effort-in-200-im-at-sydney-open-seventh-fastest-in-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/kaylee-mckeown-unleashes-207-19-effort-in-200-im-at-sydney-open-seventh-fastest-in-history\/","title":{"rendered":"Kaylee McKeown Unleashes 2:07.19 Effort in 200 IM at Sydney Open; Seventh-Fastest In History"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0<\/strong>Kaylee McKeown Unleashes A 2:07.19 The Seventh Fastest 200IM In History In Sydney Open Meet<\/strong><\/p>\n

Australia\u2019s swimmer-of-the-moment Kaylee McKeown<\/strong> has continued her record-breaking run at the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre \u2013 swimming her way into the World All-Time Top Ten for the 200m individual medley \u2013 clocking 2:07.19 to win the 2023 Sydney Open<\/a> and UNISPORT Nationals tonight.<\/p>\n

The swim comes just two months after setting the new world record in the 200m backstroke at the NSW State Championships and a month after her Australian All-Comers mark on the Gold Coast.<\/p>\n

\"KayleeMcKeown

Kaylee McKeown. Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr (Swimming NSW)<\/p><\/div>\n

Tonight the 21-year-old set new NSW and lowered her own Australian All-Comers record \u2013 taking almost a full second off her own National time of 2:08.16 \u2013 set at the Australian Championships.<\/p>\n

It was just 0.16 outside Olympic gold medallist Stephanie Rice\u2019s<\/strong> Australian record of 2:07.03 \u2013 a \u201csuper suit\u201d mark established back in 2009 at the Rome World Championships and faster than the 2012 London Olympic time set by fellow Australian Alicia Coutts.<\/p>\n

The time also rockets her to the seventh fastest All-Time and maintains her place at No 2 in the world behind Canadian wunderkind Summer McIntosh (2:06.84).<\/p>\n

McKeown was out in the butterfly in 27.88; before a 31.95 backstroke leg and 37.03 breaststroke before an impressive final freestyle lap of 30.33.<\/p>\n

McKeown admitted she was \u201chonestly just going in for race practice\u201d wasn\u2019t expecting that time.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I\u2019ll take that\u2026it was nice (to turn and see the time),\u201d McKeown said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhether or not we are training hard I just get up behind the blocks and (carry out) my race plan which was a bit different to usual.<\/p>\n

\u201cI tried to switch on through that middle 100m and then tried to come home as hard as I could in the freestyle.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I try too hard early, I just end up burning my legs and it will be interesting (when we analyse it) to see how that race plan worked out and where it gets me.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s what you have to do when you are at the top level racing swimmers like Regan Smith<\/strong> from the USA who is doing the exact same thing and my coach Michael Bohl<\/strong> reminds me constantly you can\u2019t just stop because she is always swimming well and I have to have someone to chase all the time\u2026it pushes me along\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201c(These times) are not something I would be doing at this time of the year. I was training a lot harder last year than my races were showing so it\u2019s kind of nice to have the confidence in the program and in my coach Michal Bohl now \u2013 I have been with the (Griffith University squad) for a year and it\u2019s really paying off.\u201d<\/p>\n