Australia's Sensational Kaylee McKeown Shatters 50m Backstroke World Record, Creating Unforgettable Swimming History!
Kaylee McKeown of Australia shatters swimming records, claiming the women's 50m backstroke world record She now holds the astonishing feat of simultaneously dominating the 50m, 100m, and 200m backstroke events
Australian swimmer Kaylee McKeown made history on Friday by breaking the women's 50m backstroke world record. This accomplishment also made her the first person ever to hold the world records in the 50m, 100m, and 200m backstroke events simultaneously. Competing at the World Cup event in Budapest, Hungary's Duna Arena, McKeown completed her race in a remarkable time of 26.86 seconds, surpassing the previous record of 26.98 seconds set by China's Liu Xiang in 2018.
McKeown expressed her elation, stating, "I am extremely delighted. I never considered myself as a sprinter, so it is truly gratifying to achieve this achievement."
"Next year is going to be a really tough year so the more confidence I can build, the better."
McKeown competes in the women's 50m backstroke final in Budapest, Hungary.
David Balogh/Getty Images
McKeown has become the first Australian to break the 50m backstroke world record since Sophie Edington achieved the feat in 2008, which comes as a consolation after her narrow miss by a mere 0.04 seconds last week in Athens.
Continuing her exceptional season, the Australian athlete has achieved remarkable success by securing gold medals in backstroke across all three distances at the recent 2023 World Swimming Championships held in Fukuoka, Japan. As the reigning Olympic champion in both the 100m and 200m events, she emerges as the frontrunner for gold in all three distances at the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris next year.
World Aquatics first started keeping track of 50m world records in 1997.
