2020 TOKYO SUMMER OLYMPIC GAMES
- When: Pool swimming: Saturday, July 24 – Sunday, August 1, 2021
- Open Water swimming: Wednesday, August 4 – Thursday, August 5, 2021
- Where: Olympic Aquatics Centre / Tokyo, Japan
- Heats: 7 PM / Semifinals & Finals: 10:30 AM (Local time)
- Full aquatics schedule
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- Day 3 Finals Heat Sheet
Kaylee McKeown has just won Australia’s first-ever Olympic gold medal in the women’s 100 backstroke with a 57.47 Olympic record. McKeown got within 0.02 seconds of her own 57.45 world record from earlier this year at Australian Trials. McKeown now holds the 2 fastest swims in the history event, along with 5 of the top 10 performances in history.
All-time Performances In The Women’s 100 Backstroke
- Kaylee McKeown – 57.45 (2021)
- Kaylee McKeown – 57.47 (2021)
- Regan Smith – 57.57 (2019)
- Kaylee McKeown – 57.63 (2021)
- Kylie Masse – 57.70 (2021)
- Kylie Masse – 57.72 (2021)
- Regan Smith – 57.86 (2021)
- Kaylee McKeown – 57.88 (2021)
- Regan Smith – 57.92 (2021)
- Kaylee McKeown – 57.93 (2020)
You’ll note that the only other women who appear with the top 10 are silver and bronze medalists Kylie Masse of Canada and Regan Smith of the United States. Both Masse and Smith are former world record holders in the event, having hit a 58.10 in 2017 and a 57.57 in 2019.
This swim is the 5th Olympic record to have fallen at Tokyo 2020, courtesy of those same 3 women. Kylie Masse was the first woman to do so, notching a 58.17 during prelims to take out Emily Seebohm‘s 58.23 mark from 2012. A heat later, Regan Smith brought it down to a 57.96, and Kaylee McKeown made it 3-for-3 with a 57.88 to wrap up prelims.
During the semi-finals, Regan Smith delivered the top time and a new Olympic record of 57.86 to advance first into semis. Her 3rd and final 100 backstroke swim at the Games brought with it one more Olympic record of 57.47.
Not only is this a historic swim for McKeown heat-wise, but it also marks the first time that a woman from her nation has topped the Olympic podium in the event. Australia’s first podium finish in the event was in 1932 when Bonnie Mealing took silver in Los Angles and 8 years later Judy-Joy Davies earned bronze. It wasn’t until 2012 when Australia reach the women’s 100 back podium again as Emily Seebohm delivered a silver medal swim in London.
Seebohm was also present in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic final and hit a 58.45 for 5th place, behind podium finishers McKeown, Masse, and Smith, along with 4th place finisher Rhyan White. Kathleen Dawson of Great Britain finished 6th in a 58.70 while Kira Toussaint (59.11) and Anastasia Gorbenko (59.53) rounded out the heat.
Had she not dropped 200 IM, McKeown could have done a 1992 Kriztina Egerszegi (double backstroke and an IM golds)
Shame!!!! I had money on her & Titmus on 5 golds & I always thought that the 100 Back & the 400 free was the hardest.
Australia needs to hire D Wayne Lukas as consultant. His philosophy is you can’t win if you don’t enter. The past performances charts are so uncooperative anyway. Give yourself as many swings as possible.
“8 years later Judy Joy Davies took bronze”
Nope – 16 years later
Proud Aussie here, this swim didn’t disappoint. Would have liked to see Smith post a 57 too which she was more than capable of. That was a monster swim from Kaylee, she took the first 50 out harder than the semi, I think she learnt from that semi swim, she went out too slow. Bodes well for the 200 back.
Regan only swims 57 when she is relaxed. From the outset of that race it was obvious she was not relaxed. I think the near-disqualification in the semifinal caused Regan to be overly tentative at the outset. She needed to adopt a Michael Andrew philosophy of building a huge lead.
4th paragraph reads incorrectly, …… Smith’s 3rd and final swim brought an OR of 57.47. Very poor wording. Kaylee broke the OR for the final time. Soooooo happy btw
https://twitter.com/timrosen35/status/1419840451629109248
She’s cute, lol
F**K, YEAH!
Nice to see some actual genuine reactions because I’m nearly 100% sure that is what most people are thinking when they win
If she hadn’t already broken the world record a few weeks ago, she would have now. Great job Kaylee!
Regan set the OLY record during the semis, not McKeown!
I thought the OR was broken 3 times in the heats by Masse, Smith and McKeown
why is this being downvoted lol it’s right
Poor Regan. Broke OR twice. And BOTH were snatched away by McKeown.
In here before the “Regan’s peaked!!!” comments
She has and Stanford won’t help. She’s a great swimmer but unlike Masse, she’s no racer.
Yeah, maybe we ought to wait to see how her 2 fly goes.
Wouldn’t be the first female swimmer to not improve past her late teens.
and I was told 2 years ago that she was more of an egerzergi than a missy
Here before YOZHIK screams “Meehan is gonna ruin her!”