arena Swim of the Week: 16-Year-Old Jaclyn Barclay Drops 2:08 200 Back In Queensland

Swim of the Week is brought to you by arena, a SwimSwam partner.

Disclaimer: Swim of the Week is not meant to be a conclusive selection of the best overall swim of the week, but rather one Featured Swim to be explored in deeper detail. The Swim of the Week is an opportunity to take a closer look at the context of one of the many fast swims this week, perhaps a swim that slipped through the cracks as others grabbed the headlines, or a race we didn’t get to examine as closely in the flood of weekly meets.

Australian teen Jaclyn Barclay unleashed a phenomenal swim on Tuesday during the Queensland Championships in Brisbane, shattering her personal best time to claim victory over one of the world’s best.

Barclay, 16, dropped a time of 2:08.76 in the final of the women’s 200 backstroke, ousting freestyle world champion Mollie O’Callaghan (2:10.39) to knock nearly three seconds off her previous PB of 2:11.50.

Barclay produced her previous best at the 2023 Australian Championships in April, a performance that ranked her sixth among 16-year-old Australian girls all-time.

Split Comparison

With her swim earlier this week, Barclay shoots up to #3 on the list, trailing world record holder and current Olympic and world champion Kaylee McKeown, and SCM 100 back world record holder Minna Atherton.

All-Time Rankings, Australian Girls’ 16-Year-Old 200 Backstroke (LCM)

1. Kaylee McKeown (USC Spartans), 2:06.76 – 2017 World Championships
2. Minna Atherton (Brisbane Grammar), 2:08.00 – 2016  Australian Grand Prix
3. Jaclyn Barclay (St Peters Western), 2:08.76 – 2023 Queensland Championships
4. Mikkayla Sheridan (Chandler), 2:09.82 – 2011 Australian Championships
5. Amy Forrester (St Peters Western), 2:11.00 – 2014 Australian Age Championships

For added context, Barclay’s time would rank #8 in the U.S. 15-16 age group all-time.

Already with some international experience under her belt, Barclay has arguably positioned herself as the frontrunner for the second Australian spot in this event at next summer’s Olympics, particularly if O’Callaghan opts not to race it at the Trials (it currently ranks #2 this year among Aussies).

Barclay represented Australia at the 2022 Junior Pan Pacific Championships, placing fourth in the 100 back and sixth in the 200 back, and at the 2023 World Juniors, she won gold in the 100 back (59.47), bronze in the 50 back (28.14) and placed 10th in the 200 back (2:14.31).

Along with her #3 ranking in the 200 back, her lifetime best of 59.47 in the 100 back holds the same position among 16-year-old Australians, while her 27.94 PB in the 50 back sits at #4.

See arena North America here.

Follow arena USA on Instagram here.

About arena

arena has revolutionized the world of aquatic sport through insightful collaboration with world class athletes and the development of cutting edge competitive swimwear since 1973. Today, this spirit of collaboration and innovation lives on through a continuous evolution of advanced materials and Italian design that improves the performance, style and expression of all those who chose arena. From leading the lanes to living in style, arena is dedicated to providing all swimmers with the tools they need to express themselves, feel confident, win and achieve more. Because in arena, you can.