On Friday, Australia’s Kaylee McKeown set a new women’s 50m backstroke world record with a time of 26.86 seconds at the World Cup event in Budapest, Hungary. This achievement made her the first person to concurrently hold the world records in the 50m, 100m, and 200m backstroke.
McKeown’s remarkable feat comes after a season of excellent performances, including winning gold medals in all three backstroke distances at the 2023 World Swimming Championships in Fukuoka, Japan.
As the reigning Olympic champion in the 100m and 200m backstroke, she is now the favorite for gold in all three distances at the upcoming 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. This accomplishment also marked the first time an Australian held the 50m backstroke world record since 2008.