2024 AUSTRALIAN OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Wednesday, April 17th – Saturday, April 20th
- Prelims at 10am local (8pm previous night ET), Finals at 6pm local (4am ET)
- Gold Coast Aquatic Centre, Queensland, Australia
- LCM (50m)
- Non-Olympic Qualifying Event
- Women’s Races to Watch/Men’s Races to Watch
- Meet Central
- Final Start List
- Day 1 Prelims Live Recap | Day 1 Finals Live Recap
- Day 2 Prelims Recap
- Live Results (also available via Meet Mobile: “2024 Australian Open Championships”)
- Australian Channel 9 Livestream / YouTube Livestream
Racing on night two of the 2024 Australian Open Championships, a non-Olympic qualifying competition, 22-year-old Kaylee McKeown fired off the best 400m IM time of her already-prolific career.
McKeown of Griffith University produced a monster effort of 4:28.22 to handily defeat the field en route to winning the Aussie national title. In doing so, her time overtook the legendary Stephanie Rice‘s longstanding Australian national record of 4:29.45 that’s been on the books since the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
McKeown attacked the race from start to finish, leading wire-to-wire to crush her previous personal best of 4:31.68 from last year’s Sydney Open, getting under the 4:30 barrier for the first time ever.
She now ranks as the #3 performer of all time in this grueling women’s 4IM.
All-Time Women’s LCM 400 IM Performers
- Summer McIntosh (CAN) – 4:25.87, 2023
- Katinka Hosszu (HUN) – 4:26.36, 2016
- Kaylee McKeown (AUS) – 4:28.22, 2024
- Ye Shiwen (CHN) – 4:28.43, 2012
- Stephanie Rice (AUS) – 4:29.45, 2008
This pairs with the mind-boggling 2:06.99 200 IM national record she set last night to become the 5th fastest performer in history.
Despite McKeown’s result coming within striking distance of Canadian Summer McIntosh‘s world record, the Aussie said after her race tonight that she is ‘one and done’ and will not be taking on this event at June’s Olympic Trials.
Splits Comparison
| MCINTOSH – 2023 | MCKEOWN – 2024 | MCKEOWN – 2023 | |
| 100 | 59.47 | 1:01.68 | 1:03.01 |
| 200 | 2:06.39 (1:06.92) | 2:09.99 (1:08.31) | 2:12.77 (1:09.76) |
| 300 | 3:25.31 (1:18.92) | 3:26.16 (1:16.17) | 3:29.38 (1:16.61) |
| 400 | 4:25.86 (1:00.56) | 4:28.22 (1:02.06) | 4:31.68 (1:02.30) |
Will we see MOC on backstroke and Kaylee in Breast in medley relay?
It’s becoming more and more likely.
Imagine being the 3rd fastest swimmer in history in an event and being your 4th best individual event
And it’s an event you only swim once a year cos your coach makes you
If Kaylee can get over her dislike of the 400 IM enough to give it her all at these small meets, why not on the big stage? Maybe it’s different when there’s a lot more pressure.
I think the last time she swam this event at an international meet is 2018 Commonwealth Games where she placed 9th.
We need her not to be completely exhausted by the end of the week. Semi- finals are the reason. Plus she hates it.
Exhaustion doesn’t seem to affect her much at these in-season meets where she does a ton of swims in a few days and drops some of her best times, although maybe it’s not a completely direct comparison to a longer meet with more swims over more days.
Major championships are also emotionally draining.
This is exactly correct, these swimmers are used to swimming lots of laps, its the pressure of the major championship that is so emotionally draining.
This is why to achieve what Phelps did 2-3 times at the Olympics was just extraordinary, outta of this world.
Swimming semis and relays and the high pressure environment is draining.
You’ll notice that her times get relatively slower towards the end of major meets basically every time.
No semis in 400s, if that’s what you’re referring to here..
I just think it doesn’t suit her program. Yes, it has no conflicts. But swimming 2 x 400s on day 1 for a mostly 100/200 swimmer is draining. If the schedule was different and 400IM was second last day before the medley I reckon she might give it a crack.
McKeown >>> McIntosh
No way Swimswam should of put McIntosh over her
should’ve been
you have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about.
Beginner swimmer is American. They just like to start sh*t by pitting other swimmers against each other.
With a :05 second head start….. maybe
Funny how the 3 best IMers in the world all have a last name that starts with an M
That’s cause the letter M has four strokes… so they’re used to it.
Brilliant.
I was like “who is Katinka Mosszu” and then I realised.
Kaylee McKeown‘s versatility and ability to swim ridiculously fast all season long is unbelievable.
You’d have to think McKeown and McIntosh are the two best female swimmers in the world right now.
I would even say they’re the two best swimmers in the world right now, I don’t think there’s any men better right now.
Tell that to Rowdy who keeps saying Marchand is the best swimmer in the world, man or woman.
Unfortunately Rowdy has yet to hear me when I yell it at my TV but trust, it’ll work next time for sure. 😔
I didn’t know Rowdy is that ignoramus
That’s wild. Both Kaylee and Summer are right there (and Ledecky)…
This is what, her 5th best event? 6th? Absolutely unreal. We’re so lucky to live in a world with so many incredibly talented — and versatile! — swimmers, especially on the female side. McKeown, McIntosh, Smith, Douglass, O’Callaghan… all dropping crazy times across 4+ events.
Only :03 seconds off of the teenagers time. Yay!!!!