2024 WORLD AQUATICS SWIMMING WORLD CUP-SHANGHAI
- Friday, October 18th – Sunday, October 20th
- Shanghai, China
- Prelims at 9:30 am local (9:30 pm ET previous night)/Finals at 6:30 pm local (6:30 am ET)
- SCM (25m)
- Meet Central
- Event Schedule
- Entries Book
- Day 1 Prelims/Day 1 Finals
- Day 2 Prelims/Day 2 Finals
- Live Results
It’s been a record-breaking weekend at the 2024 World Aquatics Swimming World Cup in Shanghai with American Regan Smith joining the party.
Racing in the final of the women’s 100m backstroke tonight, 22-year-old Smith fired off a new lifetime best of 54.89 in her statement-making victory.
Sans Aussie Kaylee McKeown who has withdrawn from the World Cup series due to mental health reasons, Smith erased the former World Cup Record of 55.23 set by Japan’s Shiho Sakai in 2009.
American teammate Beata Nelson wrangled up silver in 56.26 and Canada’s Ingrid Wilm turned in a time of 56.64 as the bronze medalist.
WOMEN’S 100 BACK FINAL
- World Record: 54.56 – Kaylee McKeown (AUS), 2024
World Cup Record: 55.23 – Shiho Sakai (JPN), 2009- World Junior Record: 55.75 – Bella Sims (USA), 2022
GOLD – Regan Smith (USA) – 54.89 *World Cup Record
SILVER – Beata Nelson (USA) – 56.26
BRONZE – Ingrid Wilm (CAN), 56.64
Smith’s effort represents a new American Record, tying teammate Gretchen Walsh who also hit 54.89 in a domestic NCAA meet yesterday. Both Walsh and Walsh overtook Olivia Smoliga’s former mark of 55.04 from 2020’s International Swimming League (ISL) final.
| Regan Smith‘s AR of 54.89 | Gretchen Walsh‘s AR of 54.89 | Olivia Smoliga‘s Former AR of 55.04 |
| 26.59 | 26.84 | 26.50 |
| 28.30 | 28.05 | 28.54 |
Smith now becomes the #2 performer in history in this women’s SCM 100 back and the second-ever American to dip under the 55-second barrier. It’s remarkable that 3 women are tied for #2 behind McKeown – Minna Atherton of Australia and the 2 Americans.
Top 5 Women’s SCM 100 Back Performers All-Time
- Kaylee McKeown (AUS) – 54.56, 2024
- Minna Atherton (AUS) – 54.89, 2019 & Gretchen Walsh (USA) – 54.89, 2024 Regan Smith (USA) – 54.89, 2024
- –
- Katinka Hosszu (HUN) – 55.03, 2014
- Olivia Smoliga (USA) – 55.04, 2020
Smith already took 50m back silver and 200m fly gold last night here in Shanghai with both outings representing personal bests for the Olympic medalist.
lol someone doesn’t know what to do when there’s a 3 way tie
Great to see Regan finding her grove.
It is easy for people to forget how hard the young adulthood transition is even without the pressures of elite swimming!
…and autocorrect grove translates to groove of course
“Post-Olympic slump”? Ha ha ha.
Aussie coach leaves the pro team and the wheels are falling off
Katinka should be 5th and Smoliga 6th. Three tied for 2nd would erase the 3rd and 4th spots for an all-time performer list.
Math is hard
Good for her! Cool to see Regan competing so well. She looks like she’s having fun.
She’s been training at asu still. Hasn’t been broken down by Bob yet this year
Incredible swim! Felt like she could have gone a bit faster if she hadn’t overpressed the second 25 as hard. Who knows, could be something to look out for at the next two stops.
I’m guessing it must also be a nice feeling to go best time almost every race since all her PBs are from when she was 15, lol
Wow I would not have guessed whose splits were whose.
Same, shocked to see Gretchen with the faster back half
Slower starts, better walls?
It’s a little “strange” though, because Gretchen typically has a considerably better start than Regan or anyone else really; she pretty much always surfaces first in every event and especially in SCY has monstrous opening 50s (opening 50 of her 100 fly is faster than anyone else’s 50 fly relay split, opening 50 from her PB 100 back would make her the 3rd fastest of all time in the 50 back)
Especially considering her 2 Americsn records in the 50s and the 100 IM record with the stupid fast first (50 (0.9 faster than Hosszu, 1.89 faster than Douglass), it might just be that Walsh’s opening 50 in the 100 back was just a subpar swim that day by… Read more »
Both swims are basically their 1st time swimming the 100 back in SCM so hard to read too much into how they split them. Feels crazy to say that about an AR/2nd fastest time ever but crazily true
that’s true, I wouldn’t be surprised if Gretchen was cautious on the first 50 of the 100 back on purpose and realized that she could push it a lot harder on the 100 IM
Backstroke starts and underwater are not closely related to track starts off a block
Sure, but Gretchen has ridiculously fast starts on both – she has 4 swims in the 100 back SCY where her first 50 split (to the feet) are faster than Regan’s 50 back