McKeown losing her world record is a blessing in disguise, say Olympic greats

Paris: A trio of Australian swimming greats believe Kaylee McKeown losing her 100m backstroke world record to Regan Smith will be a blessing in disguise ahead of a blockbuster showdown at the Olympics later this month.

McKeown has dominated the women’s 100m backstroke event since she won gold three years ago at the Tokyo Olympics, but will go in as the second-ranked seed after Smith lowered the Australian’s world record by two tenths of a second at the US trials last month.

Smith’s time of 57.13 seconds was faster than McKeown’s mark of 57.41 at Australia’s Olympic trials in Brisbane last month. It was a 0.34 second improvement on the American’s previous best time.

Australian Olympian Steph Rice had her 400m individual medley world record broken just before the Beijing 2008 Olympics and says it lit the fire inside her.

Rice powered to victory in the event in Beijing in world record time. She won another two gold medals at those Games.

Rice said she’d had a recent conversation with her former coach Michael Bohl, who trains McKeown.

Kaylee McKeown during training in Chartres ahead of the Olympics.Credit: Delly Carr/Swimming Australia

“It reminded him so much of when Katie Hoff broke my 400 medley world record at the US trials right after I’d broken it,” Rice, a Stan Sport swimming expert, told this masthead. “That was a gift. You just don’t want to go into the Olympics with all the weight and expectation on you.

“I think the fact that Regan took it off her, it’s like, all right, cool, you can take the world record ... let’s see who can do it the best at the Olympics. Sometimes when you can take more pressure and weight off yourself leading into a big competition like that, it gives you extra excitement and drive to take it back when it matters.

“I actually feel really confident that she’s in a really strong position, just based on her own world records and PBs [personal bests] because you always lift at an Olympics.

“I’m feeling confident that she would have seen Regan take the world record and been like, that’s OK.”

Former 100m freestyle world record holder Cate Campbell has also backed McKeown for big things in Paris, where she will be aiming to win three individual gold medals in the women’s 100m backstroke, 200m backstroke and 200m individual medley.

Zimbabwe’s Kirsty Coventry was the last woman to break a 100m backstroke world record at the Olympics, achieving the feat in 2008.

“For Kaylee, I think that it will just add some motivation seeing that world record go,” said Campbell, an Allianz ambassador. “I don’t think she was fully rested for our trials, so we didn’t get to see the best of her. She was still so close to her world records.

“Not too much fazes her. She backs herself, which you absolutely have to do, but I think it will add some motivation.”

Dual Olympian Giaan Rooney, who will call McKeown’s races for Channel Nine, says it would be foolish to write off the champion, who became the first Australian woman to win the two-lap backstroke event at an Olympics.

Natalie Coughlin (USA) is the only female swimmer to win back-to-back gold medals in the event.

“She knows what times Regan and Kylie [Masse] are posting. She’s well aware of them,” Rooney said. “Kaylee for me, I just hope that she does the [100-200] double again in Paris.

“She finds a way, tapered and untapered, to produce exceptional performances. Her mental toughness and ability to race against anyone at any time is just unsurpassed.”

Speaking to this masthead, Australian head coach Rohan Taylor added: “She’s a competitor, there’s no doubt. I don’t think it’s a surprise to Bohly or anyone really. Regan’s an exceptional athlete and has been a world record holder. All it does is make it a really, really exciting race to watch.”

The women’s 100m backstroke final is scheduled for 4:57am AEST on July 31.

Steph Rice will appear as a swimming expert on Stan Sport’s Olympics Daily and Paris Preview shows throughout the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.