{"id":586942,"date":"2024-06-11T05:20:16","date_gmt":"2024-06-11T12:20:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=586942"},"modified":"2024-06-11T14:23:54","modified_gmt":"2024-06-11T21:23:54","slug":"australian-trials-day-2-finals-kaylee-mckeown-disappointed-after-missing-100m-backstroke-world-record-by-0-08-mollie-o-back-in-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/australian-trials-day-2-finals-kaylee-mckeown-disappointed-after-missing-100m-backstroke-world-record-by-0-08-mollie-o-back-in-business\/","title":{"rendered":"AUSTRALIAN TRIALS, Day 2 Finals: Kaylee McKeown ‘Disappointed’ After Missing 100m Backstroke World Record By 0.08; “Mollie” O Back In Business"},"content":{"rendered":"

AUSTRALIAN TRIALS, Day 2 Finals: Kaylee McKeown ‘Disappointed’ After Missing 100m Backstroke World Record By 0.08; “Mollie” O Back In Business<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kaylee McKeown<\/strong> has tonight locked in a date with destiny in Paris in July after scaring the daylights out of her own 100m backstroke world record on night two of the Australian Trials in Brisbane – and she wasn’t altogether happy.<\/p>\n

The 22-year-old from the Gold Coast was just 0.08 seconds outside her own world record of 57.33 set at the Budapest World Cup meet last October – stopping the clock in 57.41 \u2013 the second fastest time ever swum.<\/p>\n

And there is little doubt McKeown had again set herself to swim her personal best \u2013 under that world record \u2013 judging by her reaction on pool deck \u2013 which could spell trouble for her opponents in Paris.<\/p>\n

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DOUBLE TROUBLE: Mollie O’Callaghan and Kaylee McKeown after women’s 100bk AUS OLY TRIALS 24 Photo Courtesy Wade Brennan (Wade’s Photos)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not going to lie, I\u2019m a bit disappointed with that (swim) but (I guess) there is always room for improvement,\u201d said McKeown, who has already qualified for the 200IM and has the 200m backstroke to come.<\/p>\n

And McKeown (Griffith University, QLD; Coach: Michael Bohl)<\/strong> had company in the form of one of her best friends, freestyle world champion and world record holder, fellow Queenslander Mollie O\u2019Callaghan<\/strong> and WA\u2019s rising star and world junior champion, Iona Anderson.<\/p>\n

Mollie O (St Peters Western, QLD; Coach: Dean Boxall<\/strong>) becoming the fourth swimmer in history to break 58 seconds for 100m backstroke \u2013 clocking 57.88 (third fastest time in the world for 2023-24) while Anderson (Breakers, WA; Coach Ben Higson<\/strong>) showed why she is a star on the rise, clocking her pb of 58.43 which ranks her sixth in the world.<\/p>\n

And McKeown (Griffith University, QLD; Coach: Michael Bohl) joins fellow Tokyo gold medallist Ariarne Titmus <\/strong>(400m freestyle) as the second Australian with the opportunity to defend their Olympic crowns \u2013 and join Dawn Fraser<\/strong> as the only previous Australian female to defend Olympic gold.<\/p>\n

Fraser, who is poolside mentoring the Paris-bound Dolphins, twice defended her 100m freestyle titles \u2013 becoming the first swimmer to win three successive gold medals in the 100m freestyle in 1956, 1960 and 1964.<\/p>\n

McKeown rocketed off the start and pushed hard down the first lap – turning 0.15secs faster than her world record split from Budapest, before the world\u2019s best female backstroker continued to power home and joined by O\u2019Callaghan and Anderson in an epic finish.<\/p>\n

The time by McKeown was an Australian All-Comers record \u2013 the fastest time ever swum in Australia -quicker than her 2021 Tokyo Trials time which was a new world record leading into the Games.<\/p>\n

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STRAIGHT BACK: World champion freestyler Mollie O’Callaghan wasted no time finding her backstroke mojo at the Australian Olympic Trials. Photo Courtesy Wade Brennan (Wade’s Photos)<\/p><\/div>\n

Mollie O\u2019s time not only makes her the fourth fastest ever but also the second fastest Australian, going past 32-year-old four-time Olympian Emily Seebohm (St Margaret\u2019s QLD; Coach Matt Brown) who was seventh in tonight\u2019s final in 1:01.14 \u2013 nine months after giving birth to son Samson.<\/p>\n

Anderson, just 18, also swam an Olympic qualifier \u2013 and she becomes the fourth fastest Australian while Hannah Fredericks<\/strong> St Peters Western, QLD; Coach: Dean Boxall<\/strong>) fourth in a personal best of 59.44 becomes the fifth fastest \u2013 also putting her in the top 16 in the world.<\/p>\n

O\u2019Callaghan, who had started her career as a backstroker before emerging as world\u2019s fastest 200m freestyler and one of the fastest ever 100m freestylers, admitted \u201cthat really hurt to be honest.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTo touch in 57.88 is just amazing. I was not expecting that\u2026but I\u2019m really happy with the result; I am definitely excited,\u201d said O\u2019Callaghan.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is definitely more to come this week; I am definitely nervous for it but what a great way to start off (the meet).\u201d<\/p>\n

Asked whether the backstroke would remain on her schedule for Paris, O\u2019Callaghan said \u201cWe\u2019ll have to wait and see. \u00a0I have the rest of the meet to go so hopefully I will qualify for another two individuals\u2026so we\u2019ll go from there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile Miami QLD\u2019s Tokyo Olympian Jenna Strauch <\/strong>(Coach: Richard\u00a0<\/strong>Scarce) <\/b>\u00a0has continued her 2023-24 breaststroke domination \u2013 finding a way to win tonight\u2019s 100m breaststroke after rising star Sienna Toohey<\/strong> (Albury, NSW; Coach Wayne Gould<\/strong>) almost caused a major boilover.<\/p>\n

Strauch, 27, trailed Toohey at the turn and in a blanket finish, stormed home in 1:06.90 to out-touch last night\u2019s 200IM qualifier Ella Ramsay<\/strong> (Chandler, QLD; Coach Vince Raleigh<\/strong>) 1:06.94 with the find of the season Toohey third home in a personal best of 1:07.01 \u2013 just 0.11 between the top three.<\/p>\n

Although outside the qualifying time, Strauch, who has her pet 200m breaststroke still to come, has put herself in contention for a relay berth as has Ramsay, who still has her two best events to come – the 200m breaststroke and 400IM.<\/p>\n

For Toohey it is a major milestone \u2013 breaking Olympic champion Leisel Jones\u2019<\/strong>long-standing 15 years 100m breaststroke Australian Age record of 1:07.49 \u2013 set in 2000, standing for 24 years.<\/p>\n

Toohey wasn\u2019t going to die wondering either \u2013 taking the race out in the first 50m in a smoking 31.01 \u2013 and taking the race to her older opponents \u2013 who surged through in the closing stages \u2013 Toohey hanging on bravely to announce herself a true emerging star on her biggest ever stage \u2013 the Olympic Trials live on National television.<\/p>\n

Toohey will be 19 when the LA Games come around in 2028 and 23 when the big show comes to Brisbane in 2032.<\/p>\n

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LAUNCH PAD TO PARIS: Kaylee McKeown nails her start. \u00a0Photo Courtesy Wade Brennan (Wade’s Photos).<\/p><\/div>\n

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WRISTY BUSINESS: Mollie O’Callaghan and her rings of confidence in the women’s 100m backstroke. Photo Courtesy Wade Brennan (Wade’s Photos).<\/p><\/div>\n

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MIAMI SLICE: Jenna Strauch shows the style that has made her Austrealia’s No 1 breaststroker. Photo Courtesy Wade Brennan (Wade’s Photos)<\/p><\/div>\n

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ELLA-VA SWIM: Chandler’s Ella Ramsay – one of the breakthrough stars of the 2024 Trials.\u00a0 Photo Courtesy Wade Brennan (Wade’s Photos)<\/p><\/div>\n

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PUTTING ALBURY ON THE MAP: NSW regional country 15-year-old Sienna Toohey gave the 100m breaststroke a real fright. Photo Courtesy Wade Brennan (Wade’s Photos)<\/p><\/div>\n

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Australian Age Championships: Fifteen-year-old Sienna Toohey\u2019s 1:07.72 Closes In On Leisel Jones\u2019 24-Year-Old National Age Record<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n