In the 2024 Australian Olympic Trials Women’s 200 Back final, Kaylee McKeown narrowly missed her own World Record with a time of 2:03.30. This made it the #2 swim of all time in the event. McKeown holds multiple records in the backstroke, including the Australian Record, Oceanic Record, and Commonwealth Record, all of which she set in 2023.
In addition to McKeown, two other swimmers qualified for the Olympics based on their performances in the final – Jaclyn Barclay and Hannah Fredericks.
McKeown’s near miss in the 200 backstroke was preceded by another close call in the 100 backstroke earlier in the meet, where she swam a 57.41, just off her own World Record of 57.33. Despite not setting a new record, McKeown’s performance at the trials demonstrates her consistency and dedication to her craft. She will be looking to defend her Olympic title later this summer after winning gold at the Tokyo Games in 2020.
At the 2023 World Championships, McKeown and Regan Smith battled it out for supremacy in the backstroke events. While Smith came out ahead that year with a time of 56:38
