McKeown Delivers 2:05.08 200 Back At New South Wales State Open Championships

2026 NEW SOUTH WALES STATE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Friday, March 6th – Sunday, March 8th
• Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre (SOPAC)
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The 2026 New South Wales State Open Championships are taking place this weekend at the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre where we’ve already seen some impressive performances unfold. While not a selection meet, this competition serves as an important milestone along the journey to June’s Australian Championships, the affair where the Commonwealth Games roster will be determined.

Day One Highlights

World record holder Kaylee McKeown proved she’s in fine form, unleashing a super solid time of 2:05.08 to take gold in the women’s 200m backstroke.

Splitting 29.35/31.75 (1:01.10)/32.16/31.82, 24-year-old McKeown beat her competitors by over 5 seconds en route to dominating the event.

St. Peters Western’s Hannah Fredericks‘ time of 2:10.84 relegated her to silver while Iona Anderson, a two-time World Championshps medalist, rounded out the podium in 2:11.07.

As for McKeown, the USC Spartan owns the 200m back world record, courtesy of the other-worldly mark of 2:03.14 she logged at the 2023 edition of this meet. Her outing on day one now ranks her #2 in the world this season, sitting only behind her American nemesis Regan Smith.

Teammate Alexandria Perkins delivered a pair of gold medal-worthy swims on day one, reaching the top of the podium in both the 50m fly and the 100m free races.

In the former, the 25-year-old clocked a time of 25.44, the 4th-fastest of her career. Her lifetime best remains at the 25.31 notched at last year’s World Championships to claim the silver medal.

Visiting Swedish ace Louise Hansson settled for silver behind Perkins here in 26.03 while Nunawading’s Isabella Boyd bagged the bronze in 26.50.

In the 100m free, Perkins stopped the clock at 54.50 to secure the victory, narrowly defeating Bond’s 19-year-old Milla Jansen.

Jansen touched a hair later in 54.72 and Carlile’s Olivia Wunsch also landed on the podium, hitting 54.81 for the bronze medal.

Perkins has been as quick as 53.53 in her career, a benchmark produced at last year’s Australian World Trials.

On the men’s side, 17-year-old Henry Allan of Bendigo East got it done for gold in the 50m back, registering 25.14 for the decisive win.

The teen was slightly faster in the morning, turning in a time of 25.01 as the 4th-best performance of his young career.

Seasoned Olympic veteran Bradley Woodward touched next in 25.77 followed by Rishabh Dash, who earned bronze in 25.83.

Additional Day One Notes

• The men’s 200m fly saw Korean swimmer Junghun Park reach the wall first, producing 1:57.50 as one of two sub-2:00 swimmers in the race. Two-time Olympian Se-Bom Lee was the swiftest Aussie, posting 1:59.21 while Carlile’s Caleb Dryer rounded out the podium in 2:00.96.
• Sienna Harben proved too quick to catch in the women’s 100 breaststroke, delivering a mark of 1:07.51 for the close victory over Tara Kinder. 22-year-old Kinder hit the timepad a fingernail behind in 1:07.57 and Ella Ramsay earned bronze in 1:07.62. Of note, teen Sienna Toohey raced in the prelims but was disqualified.
• Olympic champion Zac Stubblety-Cook cruised to the gold in the men’s 200m breast, putting up a swim of 2:10.64. That held off Nunawading’s William Petric, who logged 2:12.94. Korean athlete Sughyun Yang also landed on the podium, touching in 2:15.69 for the bronze.
• World Championships silver medalist Jenna Forrester was the clear victor in the women’s 400m IM, turning in a time of 4:36.80 as the sole racer to clear the 4:40 threshold. Kinder was next to the wall in 4:41.53 and Ramsay reaped bronze in 4:44.68. As for 22-year-old Forrester, her time here was within striking distance of the 4:33.26 notched in Singapore to tie Japan’s Mio Narita as runner-up behind gold medalist Summer McIntosh of Canada (4:25.78).

Day Two Highlights

Forrester was back at it on day two, reaping gold in the women’s 400m freestyle with a time of 4:07.92.

The St. Peters Western ace was the clear winner, topping her competitors by over six seconds. Teammate Amelia Weber was next to the wall in 4:13.96 as Milana Tapper bagged the bronze in 4:14.27.

Forrester’s lifetime best in this event remains at the 4:06.91 put up nearly three years ago, although tonight’s effort represents the #2 performance of her career.

Perkins tried the women’s 100 fly on for size, where the 25-year-old found success in a speedy outing of 57.36.

The USC Spartan split 26.32/31.04 to narrowly defeat Hansson who settled for silver in 57.58.

Bella Grant rounded out the podium in 58.36.

Perkins owns a lifetime best of 56.19 in this event, a time she put up in the semi-finals at the 2025 World Championships. There in Singapore, she delivered a slightly slower performance of 56.33 to earn the bronze behind gold medalist Gretchen Walsh of the United States (54.73) and Roos Vanotterdijk of Belgium (55.84).

The men’s 200m IM this evening saw 21-year-old Petric defeat his competitors, logging a gold medal-worthy swim of 1:58.98.

Visiting New Zealand Commonwealth Games champion Lewis Clareburt was the runner-up in 1:59.15 as the only other sub-2:00 swimmer. Lee captured bronze in 2:02.81.

Petric is coming off a personal best time of 1:57.18, a mark he produced at the Queensland Championships last December.

Finally, Kinder captured gold in the women’s 200m breast, courtesy of her effort of 2:24.89.

That held a healthy advantage over Matilda Smith and Toohey who earned the minor medals. The former touched in 2:27.06 to the latter’s 2:27.25.

Additional Day Two Notes

• 22-year-old Joseph Hamson of Knox Pymble neared his lifetime best on his way to topping the men’s 50m fly podium. He turned in a time of 24.09 for the gold ahead of Kiwi swimmer Jack Hendy whose time of 24.21 relegated him to silver. Carter Swift also landed on the podium in a result of 24.29.
• Nothing too crazy occurred in the men’s 200m free, with St. Peters Westerns’ Kai Taylor getting it done for gold in a result of 1:47.99. Petric was next in line in 1:48.05 and 19-year-old Cranbrook ace Marcus Da Silva earned the bronze in 1:48.14.
• Anderson produced a benchmark of 59.87 to claim the women’s 100m backstroke victory in a McKeown-less final. McKeown raced in the prelims where she logged 59.21 as the top seed before bowing out of the main event.
• Sam Williamson is making the rounds after missing last year’s championship season due to a knee injury. Williamson nabbed 100m breast gold in 1:01.01, leaving Stubblety-Cook to pick up the silver in 1:01.28. Gideon Burnes of Bond was tonight’s bronze medalist in 1:01.33. Williamson’s performance was slower than the 1:00.68 nabbed at the Vic Open last month. His lifetime best in this 1breast event rests at the 58.80 he put up at the 2024 Australian Olympic Trials to rank as his nation’s 3rd-swiftest performer of all time. There in Paris, he settled for disappointing 24th place in 1:00.50.