{"id":533116,"date":"2023-07-24T05:41:49","date_gmt":"2023-07-24T12:41:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=533116"},"modified":"2023-07-24T09:13:15","modified_gmt":"2023-07-24T16:13:15","slug":"world-championships-day-two-semifinals-olympic-champion-kaylee-mckeown-aiming-to-turn-tears-into-cheers-in-the-womens-100m-backstroke","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/world-championships-day-two-semifinals-olympic-champion-kaylee-mckeown-aiming-to-turn-tears-into-cheers-in-the-womens-100m-backstroke\/","title":{"rendered":"World Championships, Day Two Semifinals: Olympic Champion Kaylee McKeown Aiming To Turn Tears Into Cheers in the Women’s 100m Backstroke"},"content":{"rendered":"

World Championships, Day Two Semifinals: Olympic Champion Kaylee McKeown Aiming To Turn Tears Into Cheers in the Women’s 100m Backstroke<\/strong><\/p>\n

Australia\u2019s Olympic champion Kaylee McKeown<\/strong> will launch herself into the 100m backstroke final determined to turn last night\u2019s tears into tomorrow night\u2019s cheers at the Marine Messe Fukuoka.<\/p>\n

The world-record holder, sensationally disqualified in last night\u2019s 200m individual medley semi-final<\/a>, has qualified safely through to the final of the event she won at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.<\/p>\n

McKeown won her semi-final in 58.48 to qualify second fastest behind her U.S. rival and championship-record holder Regan Smith<\/strong>, who won the second semi-final in 58.33 from American teammate Katharine Berkoff<\/strong> (58.60) to head the qualifiers.\u00a0Kylie Masse<\/strong>, a one-time world-record holder in the event along with Smith and (now) McKeown, qualified fourth in 59.06.<\/p>\n

Smith was the winner of this race in 2021 when McKeown scratched to focus on other events. Both have been impressive so far in 2023, with McKeown clocking a time of 57.50 at the Australian Trials to finish only five hundredths outside her world record. Smith was just a few tenths behind with a 57.71 at U.S. Nationals, a meet where Berkoff moved into the top-five performers ever in the event with her mark of 58.01.<\/p>\n

When Smith and McKeown face off Tuesday evening, expect Smith to have the most early speed, with a 27-second outgoing split a high probability, and we’ll see if McKeown can close the gap down the stretch.<\/p>\n

Thirteen swimmers broke 1:00 in the semifinal round, and Great Britain’s\u00a0Medi Harris<\/strong> earned the last spot in the final at 59.62, one hundredth ahead of\u00a0Madison Wilson<\/strong>, McKeown’s Australian teammate, who touched in 59.63.<\/p>\n