Australian Kaylee McKeown broke American Regan Smith‘s world record in the 100m backstroke, clocking 57.45 seconds to win her Olympic Trials on Sunday.
McKeown took 12 hundredths off Smith’s world record from the 2019 World Championships. Both are 19 years old.
“Obviously can’t believe it,” said McKeown, who became the fourth different woman to break the 100m back mark since July 2017. “I just wanted to come in tonight and blow out the cobwebs.”
McKeown swam 10 months after her father, Sholto, died after a two-year brain cancer battle. McKeown has a tattoo across the top of her foot reading, I’ll always be with you.
“I think he’d be really proud,” she said.
McKeown finished fifth in the 100m back at the 2019 Worlds, plus took silver behind Smith in the 200m back. The U.S. is so deep in the women’s 100m back — four of the top eight in the world since the start of 2019 — that Smith isn’t considered a lock to make the team by placing in the top two at the U.S. Olympic Trials that begin in Omaha on Sunday.
Australian women won zero individual gold medals between the last two Olympics
For the first time in recent memory, the Olympic Trials for the world’s traditional swim powers, the U.S. and Australia, are happening at the same time. In past Olympic cycles, Australia held its Trials farther out from the Games.
“I’m not going to be checking results every couple hours or anything,” Katie Ledecky, who has a younger Australian rival in Ariarne Titmus, said Saturday. “The medals aren’t given this week, so I don’t think we have to get too caught up in what times people are going here versus anywhere else in the world right now.”
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Kaylee McKeown breaks 100m backstroke world record at Australia Olympic Trials originally appeared on NBCSports.com