17-Year-Old Worlds Finalist Kaylee McKeown Joins Aqua Centurions

On the heels of the announcement that Italian breaststroker Martina Carraro would be joining Federica Pellegrini‘s Rome-based Aqua Centurions squad, another famous name has been inserted into the roster. The first swimmer from down under, Australian backstroker and IM specialist Kaylee McKeown, has now joined the Centurions’ fold.

Just 17 years of age, McKeown may be the youngest member of the International Swimming League (ISL) thus far, but she certainly has the resume of a veteran. She broke through in a big way by finishing 4th in the women’s 200m backstroke final at the 2017 World Championships in Budapest, producing a huge lifetime best mark of 2:06.76 in the process. That outing established a new World Junior Record in the event at the time, a mark that was just surpassed by American Regan Smith at last year’s U.S. Summer Nationals.

The teen collected a trio of medals at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, including gold in the 50m backstroke (28.28), silver in the 100m backstroke (1:00.58) and bronze in the 200m backstroke (2:10.67).

McKeown most recently competed at the inaugural Sydney Open earlier this month, throwing down a quartet of impressive performances. The USC Spartan knocked out a winning 50m back time of 27.83, a 100m back time of 59.46 and a 200m back mark of 2:07.10 to reap gold across all 3 races. She also finished with the bronze in the 200m IM, registering a lifetime best of 2:11.04.

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Aqua Centurions Announced Roster, as of May 20th