2025 WORLD AQUATICS SWIMMING WORLD CUP – Toronto
- October 23-25, 2025
- Toronto, Canada
- SCM (25 meters)
- Meet Central
- Psych Sheets
- Live Results
- Recaps
Women’s 50 Backstroke – Finals
- World Record: 25.23 – Regan Smith, USA (2024)
- World Junior Record: 26.03 – Sara Curtis, ITA (2024)
World Cup Record: 25.36 – Kaylee McKeown, AUS (2024)- Triple Crown Contender: Kaylee McKeown (AUS)
Top 8 Finishers:
- Kaylee McKeown (AUS)- 25.35 **New WC Record
- Gretchen Walsh (USA)- 25.40
- Mollie O’Callaghan (AUS)- 25.42
- Kylie Masse (CAN)- 25.69
- Katharine Berkoff (USA)- 25.74
- Ingrid Wilm (CAN)- 26.27
- Olivia Smoliga (USA)- 26.52
- Kayla Sanchez (PHI)- 26.55
Kaylee McKeown fended off the strongest challenge she has faced in the 50 back so far this World Cup, taking the win tonight by just 0.05 seconds but breaking a trio of records in the process.
She shaved a hundredth of a second from her Australian, Oceanian and World Cup Records in this event, set at last years Shanghai stop, the first of the tour and only one she competed in. She remains as the #3 swimmer all-time, behind only Maggie MacNeil and Regan Smith, but now owns four of the fastest ten swims in history in the event.
There was a quartet of women out fast through the first 25 meters tonight, led by Gretchen Walsh in 12.39. McKeown was in second place with a 12.55, and stormed home in the final 10 meters to get the touch over Walsh and teammate Mollie O’Callaghan in 25.35, 0.05 seconds ahead of Walsh and 0.07 ahead of O’Callaghan. All three of those swims rank in the top ten in history.
Top 10 Women’s SCM 50 Backstroke Performances All-Time
- Regan Smith (USA) – 25.23, 2024
- Maggie MacNeil (CAN) – 25.25, 2022
- Maggie MacNeil (CAN) – 25.27, 2021
- Kaylee McKeown (AUS) – 25.35, 2025
- Kaylee McKeown (AUS) – 25.36, 2024
- Gretchen Walsh (USA) – 25.37, 2024
- Gretchen Walsh (USA) & Kaylee McKeown (AUS) – 25.40, 2025 & 2024
- –
- Mollie O’Callaghan (AUS) & Kaylee McKeown(AUS) – 25.42, 2025 & 2025
- –
McKeown took the Triple Crown in this event, adding the win tonight to her titles in Carmel and Westmont. She has the opportunity to win a second Crown in the 200 backstroke on Day 3 as well, and will lock horns with longtime rival Regan Smith in the 100 back tomorrow, where Smith has taken the win at both stops so far.
Queen Kaylee
Yup – Interpret how you will
All these people a week back saying Queen Kaylee was out of form…
Even when she wasn’t at her best, she still won the 50 and 200
I mean, it’s true she’s not at her best.
But evidently being not at her best doesn’t prevent her from breaking World Record.
We know she had shoulder injury 2 weeks before Singapore, and she still went PB in 100 back.
When was the last time a swimmer beat Gretchen Walsh twice in a row in short course, yards or meter?
Must have been when she was an age grouper.
That was what I was thinking. Everyone was saying last year how Gretchen would obliterate Kaylee in the SC 50 back. Well, here we are (and absolutely no hate to Gretchen on my part).
I mean look at her stroke rate in that race lol. Maybe she can’t move faster cuz of how long her arms are but yeah it seems like she doesn’t train a ton of back anymore
Surely you must realize that back isn’t all she’s doing – like Queen Kaylee
The crownbusters were close but Kaylee, as we’ve seen so often, gets that hand on the wall first.
I wonder what happened to Wunsch? DNS in the 50 Free.
Liv was faster at Westmont in all her events than Carmel. She was consistently top 5 in 50-100 Free and 100 Fly. Not another illness, I hope, after the glandular fever before trials and having to miss the 100 Free semi at Worlds.
One of the most clutch and successful swimmers in history. 100 back should be closer than what it was last week, and she is going to shatter her WR in the 200 back.
We don’t know how this will affect her 200. She was 25.42 when she went 158 high in the 200 at Carmel. In Westmont, she was 25.63 in the 50 and 157 high in the 200.
In kaylee, I trust.
ur annoying
Mahmoud is nowhere near as annoying as some of the most annoying Swimswammers like relay name guy, and you never called them out.
So Mahmoud is annoying just because he is passionate about his favorite swimmer?
There’s literally NOTHING that he wrote here that is annoying
Mahmoud stays on topic
Mahmoud doesn’t say anything bad about any swimmer.
Mahmoud doesn’t say anything bad about any coach, commentator, or any other Swimswammers.
Just because you disagree with his prediction does not make him annoying (unless you are a child).
I disagree with Mahmoud’s predictions but he has rights, and on occasion, he was proven right: he correctly predicted Kaylee McKeown to break 200 back WR in Westmont.
She is smart only to focus on backstroke.