{"id":533583,"date":"2023-07-26T04:54:14","date_gmt":"2023-07-26T11:54:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=533583"},"modified":"2023-07-26T06:24:41","modified_gmt":"2023-07-26T13:24:41","slug":"world-championships-day-four-semifinals-regan-smith-snatches-american-record-from-berkoff-in-50-backstroke","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/world-championships-day-four-semifinals-regan-smith-snatches-american-record-from-berkoff-in-50-backstroke\/","title":{"rendered":"World Championships, Day Four Semifinals: Regan Smith Snatches American Record From Berkoff in 50 Backstroke"},"content":{"rendered":"

World Championships, Day Four Semifinals: Regan Smith Snatches American Record From Berkoff in 50 Backstroke<\/strong><\/p>\n

After finishing second behind Australian rival Kaylee McKeown<\/strong> in the 100 backstroke final Tuesday, Regan Smith<\/strong> will go into the 50 back final in pole position after she got the better of the field in the semifinals. On her way to a win in the second semifinal heat, Smith swam a time of 27.10 that broke\u00a0Katharine Berkoff’s<\/strong> American record in the event by two hundredths.<\/p>\n

Smith’s time moved her into a tie with the Netherlands’\u00a0Kira Toussaint<\/strong> for third all-time in the event, with only Chinese swimmers\u00a0Liu Xiang<\/strong> (26.98) and Zhao Jing<\/strong> (27.06) having ever posted quicker marks. Smith would be the favorite heading into the final, but she is likely to have a double Thursday evening with the 200 butterfly and 50 back final, and with the fly happening first, we’ll see how much energy Smith has remaining before she faces a tough 50 back field.<\/p>\n

McKeown, meanwhile, won the second semifinal in 27.26, and that was good enough for the second spot out of semis. Great Britain’s\u00a0Lauren Cox<\/strong> swam an impressive time of 27.29 for third while the top-two finishers from last year’s Worlds, Berkoff and Canada’s Kylie Masse<\/strong>, tied for fourth in 27.49. France’s\u00a0Analia Pigree<\/strong>, who won bronze last year, took sixth in 27.70, and Canada’s\u00a0Ingrid Wilm<\/strong> was seventh (27.70).<\/p>\n

There was a tie for eighth place between a pair of Chinese teammates, with\u00a0Wang Xueer<\/strong> and\u00a0Wan Letian<\/strong> each finishing in 27.74, setting up a swimoff to determine the last spot in the final. Wang won the swimoff at the end of the session, going 27.78 to the 27.90 of Wan.<\/p>\n