2023 WORLD AQUATICS SWIMMING WORLD CUP – ATHENS
- Friday, October 13th – Sunday, October 15th
- Athens, Greece
- LCM (50m)
- Prelims 9:00am (EEST)/ 2:oo am (EDT)
- Finals 6:00 pm (EEST)/ 11:00 am (EDT)
- Meet Central
- Entries
- Live Results
Kaylee McKeown put a scare into the 50-meter backstroke world record on Friday, blazing a personal-best 27.02 that ranks as the second-fastest swim of all time behind Liu Xiang‘s 26.98 from 2018.
The 22-year-old Australian won the event by nearly a full second ahead of the Canadian duo of Ingrid Wilm (27.94) and Kylie Masse (27.95) at the second stop of the World Cup series in Athens, Greece.
McKeown was previously the third-fastest performer in history thanks to her previous-best 27.08 from her unprecedented backstroke sweep at the 2023 World Championships this summer, but now she has surpassed Zhao Jing‘s 27.06 from 2009 for the No. 2 spot while taking down her own Oceanian record along the way. She won the 50 back at the opening World Cup stop in Berlin with a time of 27.24, lowering Xiang’s mark of 27.35 from 2019. That world cup record only lasted a week before her latest lifetime best today.
https://twitter.com/SportNMedia/status/1712853105174352255
McKeown boasted the quickest reaction time in the field at .54 seconds. Impressively, she has only been back in training for about a month after taking some time off post-Worlds.
WOMEN’S 50 BACKSTROKE – FINAL
- World Record: 26.98 – Liu Xiang, China (2018)
World Cup Record: 27.24 – Kaylee McKeown, Australia (2023)- World Junior Record: 27.49 – Minna Atherton, Australia (2016)
PODIUM:
- GOLD: Kaylee McKeown (AUS) – 27.02 *New World Cup Record*
- SILVER: Ingrid Wilm (CAN) – 27.94
- BRONZE: Kylie Masse (CAN) – 27.95
Wilm also snagged silver in Berlin (27.75). Notably, last weekend’s bronze medalist, Maaike de Waard, faded to 7th, touching in 28.45.
Can’t wait to see what she has in store for us at the Australian Olympic swimming trials next year and, of course, in Paris itself.
It’s Kaylee’s world and we are all just living in it. Crazy consistently great swims
0.04 off becoming the first swimmer ever, male or female, to break all 3 LCM backstroke records. No one else has ever broken all 3 in their career, let alone held all 3 simultaneously. Backstroke GOAT
She’s the backstroke queen.
I believe Lenny Krayzelburg has broken almost all the backstroke world records (50-100-200 LCM and 2 SCM backstroke records). He was the “backstroke king” prior to Aaron Piersol’s arrival.
Also, he was a great GM for ISL’s LA Current 💯
Oh you’re right! I thought I checked but obviously missed this somehow. Well she could be the first female then