Swimming-Backstroke queen McKeown pulls off another double

The Star

4 days ago

Swimming - World Aquatics Championships - Men 1500m Freestyle - World Aquatics Championships Arena, Singapore - August 2, 2025 Germany's Florian Wellbrock after heat 2 REUTERS/Edgar Su
(Reuters) -World record holder Kaylee McKeown underlined her status as the undisputed queen of backstroke swimming as she added the 200 meters gold to her triumph in the 100 at the world championships in Singapore on Saturday.
Once again it was American Regan Smith looking to take down McKeown, only to be reeled in on the last lap as the Australian dominator clocked 2:03.33, the third fastest swim of all time.
It was nearly a second better than Smith (2:04.29), who had taken silver behind McKeown in the 100 and 200 at the Paris Olympics and was runner-up to her again in the 100 in Singapore.
Just like in Paris, McKeown's win came straight after compatriot Cameron McEvoy stormed to his second 50 freestyle title in 21.14 seconds, becoming the oldest Australian swimming world champion at the age of 31.
Fastest off the blocks, McEvoy once again denied Ben Proud (21.26) gold, having beaten the Briton to the Olympic title by a fingertip in Paris exactly a year ago.
A new dad since Paris, McEvoy thanked his wife Maddi and gave a shout-out to his baby boy Hartley.
"It's a very different life," he said.
"I've got to navigate it, I'll figure it out. But it's cool to have that at home and still be here doing what I love."
Gretchen Walsh kept the U.S. team medal haul ticking upwards with a dominant victory in the 50 butterfly, adding to her 100 title in Singapore.
Touching the wall in 24.83 seconds, Walsh was nearly half a second better than runner-up Alex Perkins, who set an Australian record of 25.31.
(Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Editing by Peter Rutherford)