Queensland’s backstroking queen Kaylee McKeown (Griffith University; Michael Bohl) has drawn on all her grit determination to win Australia’s fifth gold medal after three days of competition at the 20th World Swimming Championships in Fukuoka.
The 22-year-old triple Olympic gold medallist bounced back from the bitter disappointment of her disqualification in the 200m individual medley semi-final to re-affirm her status as the world’s leading female backstroker.
Creating her own slice of swimming history – the reigning world record holder added her first 100m backstroke World Championship title to her Olympic, Commonwealth and World Short Course gold medals.
It was a new Championship record time of 57.63 – the fourth fastest time in history giving the girl from the Gold Coast the top four times ever swum – and a fingernail (0.08) outside her own world record.
Here is a look at the Top 10 fastest swims in history for the women’s 100m backstroke.
57.45 (WR) Kaylee McKeown (AUS)
57.47 Kaylee McKeown
57.50 Kaylee McKeown
57.53 Kaylee McKeown
57.57 Regan Smith (USA)
57.63 Kaylee McKeown
57.64 Regan Smith
57.65 Regan Smith
57.70 Kylie Masse (CAN)
57.71 Regan Smith
McKeown joins her fellow Tokyo Olympic gold medallist Ariarne Titmus (St Peters Western; Dean Boxall) and fellow 400m freestyle champions Sam Short (Rackley Swim Team; Damien Jones) as Australia and Queensland’s third individual gold medallist and Queensland's ninth gold medallist of the meet so far.
Queensland medallists in Fukuoka after three days of competition:
GOLD
Ariarne Titmus (St Peters Western; Dean Boxall) W 400m freestyle 3:55.38 (WR)
Sam Short (Rackley Swim Team; Damien Jones) M 400m freestyle 3:40.68 (PB)
Mollie O’Callaghan (St Peters Western; Dean Boxall) W 4x100m freestyle relay (WR)
Shayna Jack (St Peters Western; Dean Boxall) W 4x100m freestyle relay (WR)
Emma McKeon (Griffith University; Michael Bohl) W 4x100m freestyle relay (WR)
Brianna Throssell (St Peters Western; Dean Boxall) W 4x100m freestyle relay (WR)
Jack Cartwright (St Peters Western; Dean Boxall) M 4x100m freestyle relay
Kai Taylor (St Peters Western; Dean Boxall) M 4x100m freestyle relay
Flynn Southam (Bond Swimming; Chris Mooney) M 4x100m freestyle relay
