2025 World University Games
- July 17th-23rd, 2025
- Prelims: 9 a.m. local time (3 a.m. EST)
- Finals: 7 p.m. local time (1 p.m. EST)
- Berlin, Germany
- LCM (50 Meters)
- Meet Central
- Entries List
- Live Results
- Livestream
- Live Recaps
WOMEN’S 50 BACKSTROKE – FINAL
- World Record: 26.86 – Kaylee McKeown, AUS, (2023)
- World Junior Record: 27.49 – Minna Atherton, AUS (2016)
World University Games Record: 27.66 – Leah Shackley, USA (2025)
Top 8 Finishers:
- Leah Shackley (USA)- 27.31 *NEW MEET RECORD*
- Kennedy Noble (USA)- 27.67
- Olivia Nel (RSA)- 27.91
- Adela Piskorska (POL)_ 28.31
- Michaela De Villiers (RSA)- 28.37
- Federica Toma (ITA)- 28.45
- Lee Eunji (KOR)- 28.66
- Francesca Pasquino (ITA)- 28.70
Leah Shackley picked up her third individual and fourth overall gold medal of the week tonight at the World University Games. The NC State rising sophomore touched the wall in 27.31, undercutting the 27.66 meet record she produced in yesterday’s semifinals. Her time also beat the 27.43 personal best she posted for 4th at the U.S. National Championships last month.
She now sits 8th in the world standings:
2024-2025 LCM Women 50 Back
Berkoff
AR 26.97
| 2 | Kaylee MCKEOWN | AUS | 27.06 | 03/23 |
| 3 | Wan Letian | CHN | 27.09 | 03/23 |
| 4 | Kylie Masse | CAN | 27.13 | 05/01 |
| 5 | Lauren Cox | GBR | 27.15 | 05/24 |
| 6 | Regan Smith | USA | 27.20 | 06/06 |
| 7 | Claire CURZAN | USA | 27.26 | 06/05 |
| 8 | Leah SHACKLEY | USA | 27.31 | 07/22 |
| 9 | Analia PIGREE | FRA | 27.36 | 06/16 |
| 10 | Mollie O'CALLAGHAN | AUS | 27.39 | 06/09 |
Behind Shackley were fellow American Kennedy Noble (27.67) and South Africa’s Olivia Nel (27.91), both of whom train with Shackley at NC State University in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Noble, who just finished her junior year, dipped under her previous career-best of 27.81 from yesterday’s semifinals. In those semifinals, she had already lowered her previous time of 27.86 from the U.S. Nationals last month, where she touched the wall 6th.
Earlier in the meet, Noble swam 2:06.97 in the semifinals of the 200 back, marking the second-fastest swim of her career. Her finals time of 2:07.82 placed her 2nd behind Shackley, who won in 2:05.99 to become the 6th-fastest American of all-time. Noble then pulled off a slight upset over Shackley in the 100 back, touching in 58.78 to set a new meet record, clipping Shackley’s 58.96 from the semifinals. Shackley touched the wall in 59.13 for silver in that final.
Shackley has won gold in both the 100 butterfly (58.16) and mixed 4×100 medley relay (57.96 fly split) so far this meet. Both Noble and Shackley are highly expected to swim on the women’s 4×100 medley relay at the end of the meet, with Noble taking on backstroke duties and Shackley diving in for fly.
As for Nel, the 22-year-old who has one season remaining with the Wolfpack, clipped the national record of 27.96 that she had logged in yesterday’s semifinals. Prior to that swim, the former South African standard was 28.39, which she set during the 2023 South African Championships.
Nel hit the wall 4th in the 100 free (54.32) earlier in this meet, narrowly missing Erin Gallagher‘s South African (and overall African) record of 54.23 in the process. Nel had never broken 55 seconds prior to this week.
