Watch: Australian swimmer Kaylee McKeown sets world record in 50 backstroke

PTI, Oct 21, 2023, 9:32 AM IST

Kaylee McKeown

Budapest: Australian swimmer Kaylee McKeown underlined her dominance in backstroke events by setting a world record in the 50-meter back at a World Cup meet in Budapest on Friday.

McKeown clocked 26.86 seconds to beat the previous mark of 26.98 set by Liu Xiang of China in 2018. That made her the first woman to hold the world records in the 50, 100, and 200 backstroke events.

She swept all three events at the world championships in July and won the 100 and 200 at the Olympics in Tokyo.

The 50 backstroke is not an Olympic event.

“I just wanted to get out fast tonight and see what I can do,” McKeown said. “I never saw myself as a sprinter so it’s really nice to have that under my belt.”

🇦🇺Kaylee Mckeown is the absolute best backstroker in the world as she holds now WR in all event!!

Don’t miss her performance in the 50m Back in a time of 26.86, a new World Record! #Swimming #SWC23 pic.twitter.com/a2pidydY4D

— World Aquatics (@WorldAquatics) October 20, 2023