McKeown Cranks Out 25.40 SCM 50 Back Aussie Record, Now #2 Performer Ever

2024 AUSTRALIAN SHORT COURSE CHAMPIONSHIPS

Olympic multi-gold medalist Kaylee McKeown already established a new World Record in the women’s 100m back at these Aussie Short Course Championships but tonight she made some noise in the 50m back.

Racing in tonight’s final of the event at the SA Aquatic & Leisure Centre, 23-year-old McKeown of Griffith University fired off a lifetime best of 25.40 for gold.

That handily defeated the field, with World Championships medalist Iona Anderson touching next in 26.08 followed by Poppy Stephen who earned bronze in 27.08.

As for McKeown, her 25.40 outing overtook the previous Australian national record of 25.61 Olympic champion Mollie O’Callaghan put on the books at the 2022 Short Course World Championships.

Entering this competition, McKeown’s career-quickest mark rested at the 26.00 turned in at the 2020 Queensland Virtual Short Course Championships.

With tonight’s performance, McKeown checks in as the #2 performer of all-time, sitting only behind World Record holder Maggie MacNeil, the Canadian Olympic gold medalist who recently announced her retirement. MacNeil’s WR also represents the current Commonwealth Record. and All Comers Record.

Top 10 Women’s SCM 50 Backstroke Performers All-Time

  1. Maggie MacNeil (CAN) – 25.25, 2022
  2. Kaylee McKeown (AUS) – 25.40, 2024
  3. Mollie O’Callaghan (AUS) – 25.49, 2022
  4. Claire Curzan (USA) – 25.54, 2022
  5. Marila Kameneva (RUS) – 25.60, 2022
  6. Kira Toussaint (NED) – 25.60, 2020
  7. Kylie Masse (CAN) – 25.62, 2021
  8. Etiene Medeiros (BRA) – 25.67, 2014
  9. Sanja Jovanovic (CRO) – 25.70, 2009
  10. Olivia Smoliga (USA) – 25.74,2020

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Swimdad
1 month ago

25:04SCM converts to 23:07SCY. Walsh goes 22.10SCY. The new Aussie recordis not impressive afterall.

Andy
Reply to  Swimdad
1 month ago

How many backstroke strokes does Gretchen even take in a 50 yard short course race? It’s basically just all underwaters

Swimor
1 month ago

#2 again

Alicia
Reply to  Swimor
1 month ago

Number one at the Olympics…..twice. Can you say, double-double?

Swimor
Reply to  Alicia
1 month ago

Can you say #2 twice? Double-Double

Emily Se-Bom Lee
Reply to  Swimor
1 month ago

to quote your comment from the wr article, “Who has the world record in LCM?”

Troyy
Reply to  Emily Se-Bom Lee
1 month ago

No! Not like that! 😭

NotHimAgain
Reply to  Swimor
1 month ago

Speaking of number two, how are you?

Swimdad
Reply to  Swimor
1 month ago

How do you expect to beat Regan and Gretchen Walsh if you can’t even beat Maggie’s record?

Jeff
Reply to  Swimdad
1 month ago

Are you asking how she would expect to beat Regan. Maybe she should treat it like an Olympic race. Has gone well for her so far.

Spotted Zebra
Reply to  Swimdad
1 month ago

We are currently in September of a post-Olympics Summer; Kaylee’s performances are not only a statistical anomaly but also a joy to all who love swimming.

Last edited 1 month ago by Spotted Zebra
skip
Reply to  Swimdad
1 month ago

neither regan nor gretchen have beaten maggie’s record, Kaylee is closer than both of them. facts

GOATKeown
1 month ago

She owns (or has owned) 5 of the 6 possible backstroke world records. This was the last one she needed to be the first swimmer to ever sweep a stroke in both LCM and SCM and she’s #2 all time. She’s so close. Even if she loses it immediately after I just want her to hold it briefly for that stat.

To be fair, Katinka did sweep IM records in LCM and SCM but IM has fewer events and isn’t a stroke.

GOATKeown
Reply to  GOATKeown
1 month ago

Kaylee Backstroke Rankings:
LCM
50 Back: WR 26.86
100 Back: Former WR, #2 all time 57.33
200 Back: WR 2:03.14
SCM
50 Back: #2 all time 25.40
100 Back: WR 54.56
200 Back: WR 1:58.94

RealCrocker5040
1 month ago

Kaylee carrying Australian female stroke swimming LOL

GOATKeown
Reply to  RealCrocker5040
1 month ago

Kaylee won the same number of non-freestyle gold medals in Paris as the entire US team

Robbos
Reply to  RealCrocker5040
1 month ago

A bit like Ledecky carries the American female freestyle swim team.

Emily Se-Bom Lee
Reply to  RealCrocker5040
1 month ago

yet still won the same amount of non-freestyle individual golds as the entire american team in paris

Bill P
1 month ago

Maggie you are so right about your coach being in Paris with you to protect the performance also. London YMCA/ywca swim team member your a true champion in and out of the pool. Just continue to getterdone

ScovaNotiaSwimmer
Reply to  Bill P
1 month ago

Huhhh??

Swimmer
1 month ago

Is that 25.49 from Mollie right? Weird that the results list her AR as 25.61 if so.

GOATKeown
Reply to  Swimmer
1 month ago

She set the Oceanian record with a 25.61 in the individual at Melbourne Worlds 2022, but then set a new record leading off the medley relay in 25.49. So 25.61 was her record briefly but it was 25.49 (and now she no longer has the record obviously)

Troyy
Reply to  Swimmer
1 month ago

Officially 25.61 was the record because when they imported the results from that meet into the database they missed all the relay lead offs. I reported the error months ago and it’s still not fixed.

Joel
Reply to  Troyy
1 month ago

There are many swims missing from the database.
Shannon Rollason said on his podcast that SA has said they will only count certain swims eg. School nationals won’t count. It’s all ridiculous.
Swimming QLD aren’t much better and didn’t count swims from the Qld team in Japan 2022.
They pick and choose. It’s unacceptable.

Emily Se-Bom Lee
Reply to  Joel
1 month ago

they say that only results from championship meets count, but they aren’t even consistent with that criteria.
kieren perkins broke the 1500 wr in the 1992 olympic final, when he was 18 at the end of those olympics. 32 years later, it isn’t listed in records pdf despite being number 1 in the rankings document. jodie henry’s 100 free wr from the 2004 olympics would have put her in the top 10 for the following 20 years, but she was never included in the rankings. australia broke the w4x50 medley relay wr at sc worlds, and the relay was approved as an australian record, but not moc’s backstroke split from that race

Last edited 1 month ago by Emily Se-Bom Lee
Greenangel
1 month ago

The previous australian record was 25.49 by O’Callaghan, lead off in the 4 x50 Medley Relay during the 2022 WC.

Last edited 1 month ago by Greenangel
RealCrocker5040
1 month ago

Give Gretchen and Regan a crack at it

McKeown amazing tho

ArtVanDeLegh10
Reply to  RealCrocker5040
1 month ago

Gretchen is much faster than Regan

jeff
Reply to  ArtVanDeLegh10
1 month ago

how is this this disliked lol Gretchen’s 50 SCY is more than a second faster than Regan’s pb

Khase Calisz
Reply to  RealCrocker5040
1 month ago

Not letting Gretchen Walsh swim world cups nor SC champ is a crime against swimmunity

Dan
Reply to  Khase Calisz
1 month ago

You have college swim season plus a US selection system that is based on long course and not short course.

Yikes
Reply to  RealCrocker5040
1 month ago

The second part of your comment doesn’t make the first part any less annoying.

RealCrocker5040
Reply to  Yikes
1 month ago

Womp womp

I am an American inside and out and you can deal with it!

Yikes
Reply to  RealCrocker5040
1 month ago

So am I but I try not to be massively obnoxious

‘Murica
Reply to  Yikes
1 month ago

Australians have no room to call other people annoying.

Mark69
Reply to  ‘Murica
1 month ago

And of course no one ever finds Americans annoying😉

Yikes
Reply to  Mark69
1 month ago

The downvotes speak for themselves 🤣

GOATKeown
Reply to  ‘Murica
1 month ago

Yikes isn’t Australian. They literally say they’re American in their comment.

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