Shackley Hits World University Games Record In 50 Back, Nel Clocks RSA Record

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
  • Prelims: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5
  • Finals: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5

The semi-finals of the women’s 50m backstroke on day five of the 2025 World University Games brought the heat with a South African national record biting the dust at the hands of Olivia Nel.

The 22-year-old former NC State swimmer produced a time of 27.96 to claim the 3rd seed for tomorrow night’s main event in Germany.

Nel’s time this evening overtook the former South African standard of 28.39 she put on the books during the 2023 South African Championships. That means tonight’s performance marked her first-ever outing under the 28-second barrier in this event.

She wasn’t the only South African to make it into tomorrow night’s final, as teammate Michaela de Villiers clocked a time of 28.00 to secure the 4th seed, also dipping under Nel’s former RSA benchmark.

Also of note was the fact that top-seeded American Leah Shackley scored a new World University Games record with her field-beating 27.66.

Shackley’s time surpassed the 27.84 time Poland’s Adela Piskorska registered 2 years ago. American teammate Kennedy Noble also dipped under the former mark, hitting 27.81 as the 2nd seed.

This stars n’ stripes pair already wreaked havoc on the women’s 100m backstroke final last night. Noble reaped gold in 58.78, a shiny new WUGs record, while Shackley settled for silver in 59.13.

WOMEN’S 50 BACKSTROKE– SEMIFINAL

• World Record: 26.86 – Kaylee McKeown, AUS, (2023)
• World Junior Record: 27.49 – Minna Atherton, AUS (2016)
• World University Games Record: 27.84 – Adela Piskorska, POL (2023)

Top 8 Qualifiers:

1. Leah Shackley (USA) – 27.66
2. Kennedy Noble  (USA) – 27.81
3. Olivia Nel (RSA) – 27.96
4. Michaela de Villiers (RSA) – 28.00
5. Adela Piskorska (POL) – 28.14
6. Federica Toma (ITA) – 28.35
7. Eunji Lee (KOR )- 28.56
8. Francesca Pasquino (ITA) – 28.69