2020 SWIMMING AUSTRALIA VIRTUAL C’SHIPS
- Thursday, November 26th – Sunday, November 29th
- Brisbane, Sydney, Hobart, Perth & Melbourne
- SCM (25m)
- Start dates & times vary in each city
- SwimSwam Preview
- Start Lists/Results
Although we saw most of the Australians pull out of the International Swimming League (ISL) season 2 due to coronavirus-related travel restrictions, nearly all of the nation’s best are in the water this weekend contesting the widespread Virtual National Championships.
One such swimmer is 19-year-old Kaylee McKeown, who made her presence known in a big way right off the bat with a World Record in the women’s 200m backstroke.
Swimming at the Brisbane location of Chandler, McKeown fired off a time of 1:58.94 en route to topping the fields across the 5 locations.
That not only crushed the USC Spartan team member’s previous 200 back lifetime best of 2:03.04 from last year, but it overtook the current World Record of 1:59.23 that’s been on the books since 2014. Hungary’s Iron Lady Katinka Hosszu put that mark on the books at that year’s World Short Course World Championships.
McKeown was the 2019 World Championships silver medalist in the long course version of the 200 backstroke. There she finished in 2:06.26, behind American teenager Regan Smith, who won in 2:03.69 after setting a World Record in the semi-finals.
Below are the splits for McKeown’s incredible swim tonight:
You compare those to Hosszu’s former WR from 2014:
The next closest competitor to McKeown tonight was SCM 100 backstroke World Record Minna Atherton, who touched in 2:03.64 also racing in Brisbane.
McKeown has been on a tear as of late, competing at the Queensland Medal Shots Long Course meet just earlier this month. There she hit two new national records, with a LCM 100 backstroke time of 58.11 and a 200 backstroke time of 2:04.49.
Great job, Kaylee!
Splits are interesting: McKeown and Hosszu split exaclty the same on the middle two 50s (30.19 then 30.41)! McKeown half a second quicker to close the key difference.
McKeown: Hey Katinka, I forgot my homework can I copy yours?
Hosszu: Yeah just change change a few of the splits so it’s not obvious
Men breaking records in EVERY stroke this year, women just breaking records in EVERY backstroke event this year lol
Women’s backstroke is an absolute gauntlet right now. There are probably going to be be some great swims and swimmers not hitting the podium in Tokyo.
Also: I think it is fair to say now that having some time off from training, or reduced amounts of training for a period of time, has NOT hurt these elites at all.
And some great swims but swimmers not getting qualified for Tokyo.
splits?
https://www.swimming.org.au/sites/default/files/assets/documents/session%201.pdf
Now three currently active Australian swimmers in the top 5 of this event all time ( short course )
Whoa! I also didn’t realise she’d gone 2:04 in LCM super impressive!
Likewise! Great swim
Katinka Hosszu now down to holding only ( 😉 )the five IM WRs in LCM and SCM.
Doesn’t Belmonte own the 400 IM SCM?
Yes and scm 200 fly