SwimSwam Pulse is a recurring feature tracking and analyzing the results of our periodic A3 Performance Polls. You can cast your vote in our newest poll on the SwimSwam homepage, about halfway down the page on the right side.
Our most recent poll asked SwimSwam readers which female rivalry is the best in the sport, given that the Ariarne Titmus v. Katie Ledecky clash has officially ended with Titmus’ retirement:
Question: What is the best competitive rivalry currently in the sport on the women’s side?
RESULTS
- McKeown v. Smith – 84.7%
- Ledecky v. McIntosh – 11.3%
- G. Walsh v. Douglass – 2.8%
- Other – 1.2%
Dominating the poll with nearly 85% of votes was the fight for supremacy in women’s backstroke over the last six years, Kaylee McKeown versus Regan Smith.
In head-to-head matchups, the rivalry has largely been dominated by McKeown, though it didn’t start out that way.
At the 2019 World Championships, Smith, 17 at the time, stunned everyone when she obliterated Missy Franklin‘s longstanding world record in the semis of the women’s 200 back in a time of 2:03.35, and then she won the final decisively in 2:03.69. The distant runner-up in that race was McKeown (2:06.26).
Since then, the two have solidified themselves as the fastest female backstrokers in the world by a wide margin. Between the two of them, they own the 28 fastest swims in history in the 100 back, and 61 of the top 72, while in the 200 back, they own the 11 fastest swims ever and 26 of the top 30.
However, head-to-head in major competition, it’s mostly been McKeown’s world. She swept the women’s 100 and 200 back at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, and then, after Smith won the 100 back (without McKeown in the field) and McKeown won the 200 back (without Smith in the field) at the 2022 World Championships (and they tied for 5th in the 50 back), McKeown swept the 50, 100 and 200 back at the 2023 World Championships. The Aussie became the first woman in history to sweep all three distances of the same stroke at a World Championship meet, and Smith was the silver medalist in all three, including finishing just three one-hundredths back in the 50.
In 2024, Smith broke McKeown’s world record in the 100 back at the U.S. Olympic Trials in a time of 57.13, reclaiming the mark after she initially set it in 2019 (and McKeown took ownership of in 2021).
At the 2024 Olympics, McKeown successfully defended her titles in the 100 (57.33) and 200 back (2:03.73), setting new Olympic Records in both, though Smith stole the 100 back Olympic Record from her on the final night of racing in the women’s 4×100 medley relay, leading off the Americans in 57.28 as they won gold while McKeown (57.72) and the Aussies were the distant silver medalists.
The rivalry has continued in 2025, with McKeown once again coming out on top in the 100 back (57.16) and 200 back (2:03.33) at the World Championships in Singapore, and Smith winning silver in both.
However, Smith picked up a few big wins over McKeown at the recently concluded World Cup (SCM) series, topping the Aussie in the 100 back (54.92) at the opening in Carmel and then tying her world record (54.02) in Westmont. In Toronto, McKeown (54.49) edged out Smith (54.57) to deny her the Triple Crown.
After winning the 100 back in Carmel, Smith said: “It feels really good to beat Kaylee. It’s been a while, and so it’s just like, I know I can, right? It’s like, what she’s done is absolutely incredible, right? But it’s just like, oh, my gosh, I’ve been right there for so long, and so I think, with LA on the very distant horizon, it feels good to finally do it head-to-head.
“I think it was a bit of a mental thing and of just, you know, have the (mindset) of you’re capable of doing this. Hopefully, I can keep snowballing that, but I know she’s a beast, so we’ll just keep going back and forth.”
The two swimmers pushed each other to new heights in the 200 back during the World Cup, as they registered the first two sub-1:58 swims in history in Westmont, with McKeown winning in 1:57.87 and Smith a close 2nd in 1:57.91, and then in Toronto, McKeown reset the world record in a staggering 1:57.33 while Smith put up the second-fastest swim ever in 1:57.86.
The distant runner-up in the poll was Katie Ledecky versus Summer McIntosh, which is a rivalry that’s been percolating over the last two years, with McIntosh starting to race the 800 freestyle again.
The two have gone head-to-head in previous years in the 400 free, though Ariarne Titmus has largely dominated the event on the international stage. When Titmus hasn’t been in the field, Ledecky won by over a second at the 2022 Worlds over McIntosh, and then this past summer, McIntosh won gold by more than two seconds with Ledecky back in the bronze medal position.
However, in February 2024, McIntosh handed Ledecky her first head-to-head loss in the 800 free in over 13 years, and then earlier this year, she joined Ledecky in the sub-8:10 club in February (8:09.86) before Ledecky broke her nine-year-old world record (8:04.12) in May.
At the Canadian Swimming Trials in June, McIntosh put up a time of 8:05.07 in the 800 free, pulling within a second of Ledecky’s newly minted world record to set up an epic showdown at the World Championships.
In Singapore, Ledecky reigned supreme again, winning gold in 8:05.62 over Australian Lani Pallister (8:05.98), while McIntosh (8:07.29) settled for bronze.
With Ledecky committed to racing at the 2028 Olympics, her rivalry with McIntosh promises to continue on for at least three more years.
Another option in the poll was Kate Douglass versus Gretchen Walsh, who are training partners at the University of Virginia and have yet to really go head-to-head in a major final at a long course international meet. However, their schedules do coincide in recent short course meets, with Walsh taking down Douglass’ American Records in the 50 fly and 100 IM last year, while Douglass claimed the National Record from Douglass in the 100 free earlier this month.
Below, vote in our new A3 Performance Poll, which asks: Which world record caught you most off guard at the World Cup?
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The A3 Performance Poll is courtesy of A3 Performance, a SwimSwam partner.
Regan Smith is a class act. Leader in and out of the pool. Love the way she supports her teammates and is a great role model. Hard to say this is a rivalry, though, when its been McKeown hitting the wall first.
It is truly a rivalry, but sadly the outcome is almost predictable
The Ledecky vs McIntosh vs Pallister rivalry is brewing!
I hope McIntosh keep swimming 800!
Ranked choice voting pls
Rivarly? Mckeown wins head to head every time. I feel bad for regan
She evidently doesn’t. She just lost twice to Regan in October.
(saying this as Kaylee’s biggest European fan probably)
And Regan needs to race her backstroke races without 200 Fly mixed in. I am truly impressed with how fast she went in the last 200 Back race after the intensity of her schedule.
None of these really count as rivalries when they’re completely one sided
none of them are completely one sided. The only one thats even arguably one sided is McKeown/Smith, but its not like Smith has never won or never puts up a fight. Ledecky beat McIntosh in the 800 at Worlds. Douglass vs Walsh… they don’t even race the same events but I cant figure out which one you’re implying is better given that KD just had a better world cup and is more accomplished in LC championships
Katie just dropped a spooky 4:26.43 500 free she’s still cooking up yards times faster than anyone else in history
I’d love to know why her and Finke weren’t at the world cups
that just means faster than all other Americans. The only non Americans that swim yards are the internationals in college. Not many of the best 400 swimmers in the world have done that.