2025 World Championships
- July 27 – August 3, 2025 (pool swimming)
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Kaylee McKeown, the World Record holder in the women’s 50 backstroke, has scratched out of the event at the 2025 World Swimming Championships.
Olympic Champion Kaylee McKeown is no longer entered in 50 Back at World Championships.
McKeown won the 50-100-200 Back treble in Fukuoka and is still entered in the 100-200 Back in Singapore.#AQUASingapore2025 pic.twitter.com/63K07T5S6M
— Swim Updates (@swimupdates) July 25, 2025
The Australian, who is still entered in the 100 and 200 events, swept all three backstroke events at the 2023 World Championships in Fukuoka, and was the favorite to do that again this year.
She had the 2nd fastest time in the world this year at 27.06 from March. This came in just under a tenth behind American Katharine Berkoff‘s 26.97 from the United States Trials last month.
2024-2025 LCM Women 50 Back
Berkoff
AR 26.97
| 2 | Kaylee MCKEOWN | AUS | 27.06 | 03/23 |
| 3 | Wan Letian | CHN | 27.09 | 03/23 |
| 4 | Kylie Masse | CAN | 27.13 | 05/01 |
| 5 | Lauren Cox | GBR | 27.15 | 05/24 |
McKeown was initially disqualified in the prelims of the event at the 2025 Australian Trials in June for a false start, but she protested the DQ, and was reinstated into the final, where she swam 27.33 to win.
Hannah Fredericks will now be Australia’s only swimmer in the event, and Canada’s Kylie Masse has been promoted to the 2nd seed.
As a reminder, here is how you can update your Pick’ems to reflect this change.
Is Kylee going for the 4×200 relay? That may be the reason why she’s dropping the 50back it’s on the same day as the relay.
Kaylee has concepts of a plan. Good reason she made this decision.
Maybe this is just a female version of Marchand dropping two Olympic Gold events to concentrate even harder on another Olympic Gold event to try to push his PB to another level.
Could it just be a decision to really fully concentrate on going after getting back the 100 Back WR Regan regained last year?
when your trophy cabinet looks like kaylee’s you can go swim or don’t swim whatever you want – hell go take a bomb off the 10 metre platform for all I care – there’ll be another world champion crowned in 27 & an olympic champion in 28 & going on her track record when it matters you’d be a brave person to bet against her for both.
Anyone else think this might be to position herself for the 4×200? This relay scheduled same day and she could be a good option to join MOC, Pallister and Perkins.
No way they’d let her do that without swimming it at trials. Her PB would’ve been only a couple of hundredths ahead of the 4th place tie
They definitely would if they were prepared to ignore a DQ.
“Ignoring a DQ” to allow her to compete in the event she’s the world record holder in is not even in the same universe as putting someone into a relay final in an event they haven’t swum in over a year where their PB would barely be fourth.
Your comparison is nonsensical.
She’s the WR holder in 50 backstroke.
I don’t think she’s even in the fastest 8 200 freestyler in Australia
She’d have to earn it through a heat swim. If anything it’s a good option to be able to rest the top 3. Could see her in the heat alongside Web, Casey & Castalluzzo – take the fastest through to the final.
Nah, she hasn’t swum a 200 free since trials last year and they have two options for that fourth leg are just as fast as Kaylee’s best time.
Treble is crazy
She scared
Of what? Regan broke her WR last year and she still couldn’t beat her on the biggest stage. Kaylee has had a few coach change and she still in the best in the game – she also be Berkoff too in the same race if you remember clearly
Won 4 Olympics backstroke gold, the first and only female backstroker to do a double double
Broke WRs in 50 100 200 back LCM and 100 200 SCM
The first and only backstroker, male or female, to win 50 100 200 back in a single World Championship
Undefeated in individual 100 and 200 backstroke LCM and SCM since 2019. She even beat Smith in 50 back SCM last year in World Cup when she was dealing with her mental health and when Smith was peaking.
Beat Smith, Baker, Masse in Olympics and World Championship.
Random anonymous Swimswammer:
Kaylee McKeown is scared.
Octavio,
How’s Brazilian swimmers doing?
She’s washed up, can’t handle the heat anymore
Washed up, you mean Dressel? or Murphy?
Saying someone for washed up when she is seeded #1 or #2 and qualified for World Championship in all backstroke events shows you are trolling
lol she just won the 100bk
Curzan has also won the 50/100/200 at worlds but I understand if you don’t count 2024
How did Cuzan go in the Olympics a couple of months later.
Disappointing news. Wasn’t expecting this. She and coach Michael Sage must have their reasons.
I see Ella Ramsay is still entered in all 4 events she qualified for, the 100-200 Breast and 200-400 IM. She also would be swimming either prelims or final of the medley relay.
Would she have been better off dropping one of her events? The 100 Breast is her lowest seeded event.
The 100 breast semi is in the same session as the 200 IM final too so was really expecting her to scratch it.