Kaylee McKeown Breaks Another World Cup Record in 100 Back (57.95)

2023 WORLD AQUATICS SWIMMING WORLD CUP – BERLIN

• October 6-8, 2023
• Berlin, Germany
• LCM (50 meters)
• Meet Central
• Full Entry List
• Live Results
• Day 1 Finals Live Recap
• Day 2 Finals Live Recap

Kaylee McKeown set her second World Cup record in as many days with a 57.95 in the 100 backstroke on Saturday in Berlin.

The 22-year-old Australian was only half a second off her own world record from 2021, shaving a few tenths off the eight-year-old World Cup standard set by fellow Aussie Emily Seebohm (58.34) in 2015. McKeown was out 1st at the midway point in 28.58 before roaring home in 29.37, the fastest back half in the field by more than a full second.

McKeown went 57.53 to win her first 100 back world title in July, rallying past Regan Smith and taking down her meet record in the process. And she’s showing no signs of slowing down early in the 2023-24 season.

McKeown also took down the World Cup record in the 50 back on Friday with her winning time of 27.24. After the victory, she said she was pleased because she had only been back in training for a few weeks.

“I don’t really think about the medals that I won at the World Championships,” said McKeown, who became the first to sweep the 50, 100, and 200 back events at Worlds this summer — and the first woman to pull off that kind of stroke sweep in any discipline. “Every season is a clean slate and I am proud of those medals, but they are not key to the things that I want to do in the future.”

WOMEN’S 100 BACKSTROKE — FINAL

• World Record: 57.45 — Kaylee McKeown, Australia (2021)
• World Cup Record: 58.34 — Emily Seebohm, Australia (2015)
• World Junior Record: 57.57 — Regan Smith, United States (2019)

PODIUM:

• GOLD: Kaylee McKeown (Australia) — 57.95 (World Cup record)
• SILVER: Kylie Masse (Canada) — 1:00.02
• BRONZE: Ingrid Wilm (Canada) — 1:00.41

McKeown was the only one in the field to break 1:00, but behind her it was a tight race to get onto the podium. Maaike de Waard had been 2nd to McKeown at the halfway point, but the two Canadians, Kylie Masse and Ingrid Wilm, pulled it out on the back half to both secure spots on the podium. The Canadian women were forces at the 2022 World Cup, and they seem to have not missed a step this year.