2024 WORLD AQUATICS SWIMMING WORLD CUP – INCHEON
- Thursday, October 24th – Saturday, October 26th
- Prelims at 9:30am local (8:30pm previous night ET)/Finals at 7:30m local (6:30am ET)
- Munhak Park Tae-Hwan Swimming Pool, Incheon, South Korea
- SCM (25m)
- Meet Central
- Event Schedule
- Entered Athletes
- SwimSwam Preview
- Day 1 Finals Recap | Day 2 Finals Recap
- Results
Regan Smith unleashed the fastest swim in history on Friday at the World Cup stop in Incheon, breaking Kaylee McKeown‘s less-than-a-month-old world record in the final of the women’s 100 backstroke (SCM).
Smith, 22, blasted her way to a time of 54.41, knocking 15 one-hundredths off McKeown’s record of 54.56 set 29 days earlier at the Australian Short Course Championships in late September.
The swim for Smith comes after she tied the American Record and moved to #2 all-time in the 100 back during the opening leg of the circuit last week in Shanghai, having gone 54.89 to match the time done by Gretchen Walsh earlier in the day.
In addition to lowering McKeown’s world record and the American Record, Smith also broke her own World Cup Record (54.89) set in Shanghai. That mark had previously stood at 55.23 from Japan’s Shiho Sakai in 2009.
Smith was actually slower than she was last week in Shanghai at the 50, turning in 26.67, but stormed home more than half a second quicker in 27.74, out-splitting McKeown on both of her 50s in the process.
Split Comparison
| McKeown, Old WR | Smith, Old AR | Smith, New WR |
| 26.69 | 26.59 | 26.67 |
| 54.56 (27.87) | 54.89 (28.30) | 54.41 (27.74) |
In the last month, the women’s 100 back all-time rankings have seen a massive shakeup. Prior to McKeown’s world record swim, Minna Atherton was the only swimmer in history having broken 55 seconds, and now there have been four, with Smith doing it twice in back-to-back weeks.
All-Time Performers, Women’s 100 Backstroke (SCM)
- Regan Smith (USA), 54.41 –2024
- Kaylee McKeown (AUS), 54.56 – 2024
- Minna Atherton (AUS) / Gretchen Walsh (USA), 54.89 – 2019 / 2024
- –
- Katinka Hosszu (HUN), 55.03 – 2014
- Olivia Smoliga (USA), 55.04 – 2020
- Kira Toussaint (NED), 55.17 – 2019
- Louise Hansson (SWE), 55.20 – 2021
- Kylie Masse (CAN), 55.22 – 2021
- Shiho Sakai (JPN), 55.23 – 2009
This is Smith’s second 100 backstroke world record of the year, having lowered the all-time mark in the long course pool at the U.S. Olympic Trials in June in 57.13—also previously a McKeown record.
Friday’s swim was Smith’s first SCM world record, having only raced the format at a handful of World Cups in 2016 and 2017 prior to the 2024 World Cup.
RACE VIDEO
Smith won the event decisively over Canadian Ingrid Wilm (56.14), while American Beata Nelson (56.41) rounded out the podium.
On Thursday, Smith won the 50 back (25.71) and was the runner-up in the 200 fly in Incheon. She is scheduled to swim the 200 back on Saturday.
Recalling the “Regan showing traces of Cseh” article, one small difference is that Cseh didn’t beat WR’s in Phelps events after he rose to prominence.
Regan has the most untapped potential, but when it comes to being Olympic or World Champion, it’s about putting everything together at the right moment and Kaylee manages that better.
It’s about as simply as you can summarize this rivalry.
And Cseh never won a Olympic gold where as Regan smith won 2
Cseh isnt american
Crazy to think it took 10 years to lower the record by 0.34 seconds, and it has been lowered by more than that in the last few weeks
Almost as crazy as when Coughlin lowered the world record by almost 1.4 seconds after it had been the at the same level for the prior 8 years
Regan Smith owns the Long Course (LCM) World Record in the W 100 BK, the Olympic Record in the W 100 BK, and the Short Course (SCM) World Record in the W 100 BK. It’s time to address the W 50 BK.
Time for Regan Smith to step up in the W 50 BK (SCM).
Not to beat a dead horse or take anything away from Regan, but this converts to about 49.0 in SCY. Gretchen’s been 48.2 at the end of day 3 of NCAAs, I wonder if she could break into the 53s at short course worlds if they let her lead off the relay
Yes. GW could go :53. No, she will not get a shot to lead off the relay. (And she’s more valuable swimming the fly leg anyway)
Best news of the day! Also Best acting in a Speedo film😂love it!
Regan smith is good at backstroke
I’d love to see tapered Regan vs Gretchen vs Katharine in the SCM 100 back