Kaylee McKeown Blasts 54.56 SCM 100 Backstroke World Record (Video)

2024 AUSTRALIAN SHORT COURSE CHAMPIONSHIPS

Already on fire from her double gold medal-winning performances at the 2024 Olympic Games, Kaylee McKeown of Australia is now doing damage on the short course record book.

While racing on day one of the 2024 Australian Short Course Championships, 23-year-old McKeown of Griffith University fired off a new World Record mark in the women’s 100m backstroke.

McKeown crushed a result of 54.56 to get to the wall first, defeating the field by over a second.

Iona Anderson was next in 55.79 while Gemma Cooney rounded out the top 3 in 57.80.

As for McKeown, the megastar split 12.82/13.87/13.90/13.97 to overtake the former World Record of 54.89 fellow Aussie Minna Atherton put on the books during the 2019 International Swimming League (ISL) season.

Both Aussies remain the only women ever to have delved under the 55-second barrier in this event.

Top 10 Women’s SCM 100 Backstroke Performers All-Time

  1. Kaylee McKeown (AUS) – 54.56, 2024
  2. Minna Atherton (AUS) – 54.89, 2019
  3. Katinka Hosszu (HUN) – 55.03, 2014
  4. Olivia Smoliga (USA) – 55.04, 2020
  5. Kira Toussaint (NED) – 55.17, 2019
  6. Louise Hansson (SWE) – 55.20, 2021
  7. Kylie Masse (CAN) – 55.22, 2021
  8. Shiho Sakai (JPN) – 55.23, 2009
  9. Emily Seebohm (AUS) – 55.31, 2014
  10. Ingrid Wilm (CAN) – 55.36, 2022

Entering this competition, McKeown’s lifetime best in this SCM 100 back rested at the 55.49 logged at the 2022 Short Course World Championships. That rendered her the gold medalist and the Michael Bohl-trained athlete also won the 200m back in 1:59.26 at those championships.

McKeown is accumulating a highly impressive list of current World Records, now owning the following:

  • LCM 50 back – 26.86, 2023
  • LCM 200 back – 2:03.14, 2023
  • SCM 100 back – 54.56, 2024
  • SCM 200 back – 1:58.94, 2020

McKeown is set to race the 50m back, 200m back and 100m IM later on at this competition.

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Diehard
7 days ago

Who is her coach these days?

Skip
Reply to  Diehard
7 days ago

Janelle Pallister

Dee
8 days ago

Backstroke GOAT

sjostrom stan
8 days ago

we’re all just living in Kaylee’s world

Emily Se-Bom Lee
8 days ago

26.11 australian record for grayson bell. took the commentators a while to realise…

Troyy
8 days ago

No Kaylee in the 200 back 😭

Swimdad
8 days ago

She looked so smooth and swam with no pressure. Too bad she couldn’t set the record in Paris against Regan.

GOATKeown
Reply to  Swimdad
8 days ago

Too bad she has 4 individual gold medals to Regan’s 0

Thomas The Tank Engine
Reply to  Swimdad
5 days ago

Too bad she beat Regan in all individual races since 2019

Skip
8 days ago

Kaylee is doing Kaylee things, making history. 200 back today, 100im later in the meet.

SWIMGUY12345
8 days ago

What does this roughly convert to in SCY? No based on some calculator lol

Swimmer
Reply to  SWIMGUY12345
8 days ago

Who cares real swimming is done in metres! Americans can hate me all they want for the comment but that’s the truth why else would world aquatics be using metres of yards

Skip
Reply to  SWIMGUY12345
8 days ago

You need the calculator to accurately convert lol, but here’s a clue, the rest of the world dont swim in yards for solid reasons,

Swimdad
Reply to  SWIMGUY12345
8 days ago

49:47.38SCY…Unimpressive next to GW 48.26

Joel
Reply to  Swimdad
8 days ago

Your are joking. Kaylee has been back training for 3 weeks or less.

Last edited 8 days ago by Joel
Southerly Buster
Reply to  Joel
8 days ago

Trying to reason with Swimdad is like debating someone from the Flat Earth Society.

NotHimAgain
Reply to  Swimdad
7 days ago

Did Kaylee cut you off in traffic or something?

About Retta Race

Former Masters swimmer and coach Loretta (Retta) thrives on a non-stop but productive schedule. Nowadays, that includes having earned her MBA while working full-time in IT while owning French 75 Boutique while also providing swimming insight for BBC.

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