Kaylee McKeown has smashed the 200m backstroke world record on the opening night of finals at the 2023 NSW State Open Championships.
The 21-year-old Sunshine Coast product clocked a time of 2min3.14sec to clip 0.21sec off American Regan Smith’s time set at the 2019 World Championships in Gwangju, South Korea.
McKeown was in the zone when she walked onto the pool deck at the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre and wasted no time setting the pace with a 29.34 for her first 50m.
The Olympic, World and Commonwealth Games champion then split 1:00.73 at the 100m and 1:31.84 at the 150m mark.
McKeown claimed the 100m and 200m backstroke golds at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, but knows defending her titles in Paris won’t be easy.
“I knew it was going to be a new level heading into the (2024) Olympics and I think it’s great seeing Regan Smith doing all her double-ups,” she said.
“It’s scary and it’s daunting to me when you are looking at a competitor or competitors who are that fierce.
“Even Molly O’Callaghan in Australia – the backstroke depth is definitely coming back at that top level so it’s exciting.”
McKeown hails from the Sunshine Coast. She went to Pacific Lutheran College and trained at UniSC Spartans, before joining the Griffith University swim club and training under renowned coach Michael Bohl.
McKeown said she had lacked motivation to get back in the pool after her Tokyo success but a block of intense training with her squad at the Gold Coast Aquatic Centre had reignited her competitive nature.
“After the Olympics I found it hard to get up behind the blocks again,” she said.
“(But) I’ve found a new love for the sport and it just goes to show that a happy swimmer is a fast swimmer.
“I haven’t necessarily changed anything in my program or training-wise. It’s just that I’m happier.”
