FLASH! Kaylee McKeown Crushes 200 Back World Record Again; Regan Smith Under Previous WR
For the second time in less than a week, Kaylee McKeown and Regan Smith have both gone under the world record in the short course meters 200 backstroke. Just like six days earlier in Westmont, Ill., McKeown has gotten the victory and the new standard.
The world record was surely going to come under fire in Toronto after McKeown won both the 50 and 100-meter races earlier in the meet with her fastest times of the circuit. But Smith always puts up a challenge when racing against the tough Australian, who is the two-time Olympic champion in both the 100 and 200 backstroke. The two women were separated by three lanes on this occasion, but they swam in lockstep for almost the entire way.
Immediately, the world record came under fire, with both swimmers under the pace the majority of the way. Smith flipped slightly ahead through the halfway point before McKeown took over. The American made up ground off each turn but could not handle McKeown’s speed on top of the water. Indeed, McKeown would pull away to smash her days-old record by more than a half-second.
McKeown touched in 1:57.33 to secure her third win in the 200 backstroke in three tries on the World Cup circuit. McKeown ends the three meets with seven overall wins, having also swept the 50-meter race and taken first the 100 back in Toronto. McKeown was second to Smith in the 100 back in Carmel and Westmont.
“During the warm up, I was actually really nervous, which I fixed to my walk up to try to just enjoy myself and enjoy the experience,” McKeown said. “But I think for me to get the best out of myself, I need to be nervous. I’m just learning more things about myself as I go.”
Smith came in second here in 1:57.86, one hundredth under McKeown’s previous world record and five hundredths clear of her previous American record. No woman had ever been under 1:58 until the previous stop, where McKeown led wire-to-wire but held off Smith by only four hundredths. At that meet, McKeown’s time was 1:57.87 while Smith came in at 1:57.91.
American Phoebe Bacon was well back in third at 2:00.80.
