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Kaylee McKeown wins 100m backstroke gold at World Aquatics Championships

ABC News

an hour ago

Sport
ABC News

Kaylee McKeown wins 100m backstroke gold at World Aquatics Championships

Kaylee McKeown has unleashed a sensational swim to come from behind and claim the 100m backstroke gold medal at the World Swimming Championships in Singapore. The five-time Olympic gold medallist beat her American rival, Regan Smith, in an enthralling final by just under two-tenths of a second. McKeown turned at the 50 down by 0.22 seconds but powered down the back 50 to overtake Smith and regain her World Championships crown. Her time of 57.16 seconds was just 0.03 of a second outside Smith's world record and 0.17 seconds below her previous personal best. "It's a little bit emotional. I've worked so hard just to get myself back into a happy state and, as I've said in my interviews, that's all I'm really focussing on," McKeown said. On Monday she said she thought her new outlook would allow her to swim faster times in 2026, but the results came far quicker than even she expected. "I think it just goes to show that a happy swimmer is a fast swimmer," McKeown said. "I have trained hard, but I wasn't expecting to come out and PB [get a persona best] today," she said. McKeown has spoken about the pressure she felt at the Paris Olympics and how she had fallen out of love with swimming. Since then, she has changed coach from Michael Bohl to Michael Sage, moved to the Sunshine Coast and dramatically altered her goals. She said she did not want to swim the 100m backstroke at the World Championships in Singapore but, once she decided to, she did not care if she came first or last; she just wanted to "have fun". "I don't think it necessarily means anything to win, and I know that sounds bad," McKeown said. "I think what means most to me is being true to myself and being strong and coming to these world championships and not fearing. "There was a lot of comments of me pulling out of the backstroke and saying I was scared to lose — that's not the case at all. If anything, I'm scared to fail myself. "I've worked really, really hard to get up there and prove to myself that I am a good athlete, I'm a good swimmer, and it doesn't matter if I come first or last. "I just didn't want to keep steering away from fear because the more that you create fear, it becomes a little bit like a monster. McKeown also revealed she had been in pain from a recent shoulder dislocation. "It's been quite irritated, but I've got a good medical team and good physios to help me get through the meet," she said. As for her rival Smith, when asked if she felt any sympathy for her, McKeown replied: "Not at all." "I think that's just the nature of it. You've got to be competitive," she said. Fresh off becoming the second-fastest qualifier for the final of the women's 200m freestyle on Wednesday, Mollie O'Callaghan spoke glowingly of her friend McKeown. "Can we just say how amazing, Kaylee was," O'Callaghan said. "I think she's quite inspiring. "Coming off the Olympics, it's something else, like, you've done everything you want to do. And I know for her there was a big mental block. She's a tough trainer, like, honestly sometimes she says, 'I'm not doing well,' and then I look at her at training and I'm like, 'What the?… that's bonkers.'" O'Callaghan said McKeown, like a lot of elite swimmers, tended to be critical of herself. "That's why we're the best in the world, but to be honest I think she's an absolute beast," she said. On the pair's friendship, O'Callaghan said they were two "goofy girls". "We can go away from the pool and have a good laugh about things that aren't swim related," she said "We're friends based on just being ourselves," O'Callaghan said. "So, we get along really well and just talk s*** the whole time." Lani Pallister was on a hiding to nothing, swimming in the lane next to 1,500m freestyle world record holder Katie Ledecky. She finished in third behind Ledecky and Simona Quadarella from Italy in second. Pallister stayed with Ledecky for the first 400 metres, with both swimmers under the world record, but by the 500-metre mark Ledecky had asserted her dominance. "You can't wipe the smile off my face. I actually had a lot of fun racing that, and any time you're in the pool with Katie and Simona and those girls, it's really special, Pallister said. She finished in 15:41.18, two seconds outside her personal best, but explained she wanted to push Ledecky as hard as she could before the pain of the fast start became too much. "I only race Katie three more times in the 1,500 before the LA Olympics," Pallister said. "So, for me, it was just sticking with her for as long as I can and seeing how long I could hold on for. "So back to training for that one I guess, working on my back end from now on, but yeah I'm really happy. Asked what she was thinking as she raced Ledecky in the first 400m as the two swam under the world record line, Pallister responded: "Holly f***, that was kind of it." The starting pace was just too hot as Pallister turned herself inside out. "It's kind of funny that I didn't throw up after that one, but I threw up after trials, and as much as I wanted to kick my legs in that last 50, I just couldn't," she said. "Pallister believes she has the capability to eventually beat Ledecky and is working towards meeting that goal at the Los Angeles Olympic Games. "Katie's the greatest distance swimmer of all time and arguably the greatest female swimmer of all time," she said. "I think everyone's goal is to win and I wouldn't be in the sport if I wasn't a competitive person and didn't want to have a gold medal. "LA is the bigger picture, and I think anyone who's still competing in the sport still wants a goal medal individually," Pallister said. In other results, Jamie Perkins qualified as the fifth fastest for the final of the women's 200m freestyle alongside O'Callaghan. Harry Turner qualified for the final of the men's 200m butterfly.

The subtle art of communicating with swimmers during a race

LeMonde

5 hours ago

Sport
LeMonde

The subtle art of communicating with swimmers during a race

In swimming, as in all other sports, coaches experience competition intensely. But at the edge of the Olympic pool at Singapore's Sports Hub, the venue for the World Swimming Championships until Sunday, August 3, two coaching philosophies stand out. Some coaches, standing behind a barrier, remain outwardly calm, masking the intensity they feel once the race begins. Others are more expressive, shouting themselves hoarse, whistling or making grand gestures with their arms. This second group has not given up on solving the puzzle faced by swimming coaches: how to communicate with a racing athlete, their ears underwater and their eyes locked on the tiles three meters below. "Coaches can try to get information across with gestures or whistles," said Mathieu Neuillet, a coach at INSEP, France's National Sports Institute. Although he has not developed such signals with his own coach, French swimmer David Aubry, who specializes in middle-distance events (400m, 800m, 1,500m), said: "Codes between a coach and a swimmer can help, especially in the heats or semifinals, to know whether to accelerate in order to qualify." A thumbs-up might mean the pace is good and there is no need to push harder; a hand gesture to the right or left can signal that it's time to pick up speed. It's up to coaches and their swimmers to develop their own language.

Pieter Coetzé wins SA's first gold medal at World Swimming Championships

Eyewitness News

8 hours ago

Sport
Eyewitness News

Pieter Coetzé wins SA's first gold medal at World Swimming Championships

JOHANNESBURG – Pieter Coetzé won South Africa's first medal of the World Swimming Championships in Singapore. Coetzé snatched gold in the men's 100m backstroke on Tuesday and set a new African record of 51.85 in a tight race, with the entire field finishing within less than a second of one another. The 21-year-old South African star touched the wall first, with the Paris 2024 champion Thomas Ceccon just .05 seconds behind him to claim silver in 51.90, with France's Yohann Ndoye-Brouard earning his first world championship medal with a bronze in 51.92. "I always thought it would happen eventually. In my mind, it was just a matter of time. I can't say it was expected as it was a gamble right after the World University Games,' said Coetze. READ MORE: SA swimmer Pieter Coetzé books spot in the 100m backstroke final at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore Pieter Coetzé leads the pack as he qualifies for 4 World Aquatics Championships events Pieter Coetzé snatches the first World Aquatics Championships qualifying time at the SA National Championships

Katie Ledecky wins 1500m free at swim worlds on 15-year streak, breaks ties with Phelps, Lochte

NBC Sports

9 hours ago

Sport
NBC Sports

Katie Ledecky wins 1500m free at swim worlds on 15-year streak, breaks ties with Phelps, Lochte

Katie Ledecky extended her 15-year win streak in the 1500m freestyle and broke career medal ties with Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte at the World Swimming Championships on Tuesday. Ledecky earned her sixth title in the 1500m free and 22nd world title overall. She clocked 15 minutes, 26.44 seconds in Singapore, comfortably prevailing by 5.35 seconds over Italian Simona Quadarella. 'Each one has meaning, and I love every race that I've had at worlds over the years,' Ledecky said on Peacock. SWIMMING WORLDS: Results | Broadcast Schedule It was actually Ledecky's closest 1500m free at an Olympics or worlds since her first title in 2013. Credit Quadarella, who became the second-fastest woman in history in the event by 7.09 seconds over Dane Lotte Friis' silver medal time from 2013. Ledecky entered the race with the top 24 times in history. She swam the fifth-best time ever Tuesday but leaves with the top 11 times with Quadarella now slotting at No. 12. Ledecky last lost a 1500m free at the 2010 Potomac Valley Championships in her native Maryland — as a 13-year-old to a 17-year-old Kaitlin Pawlowicz. '(Ledecky) was leading and her cap came off,' Pawlowicz said in 2016, according to Yahoo Sports. Ledecky earned her 28th world medal of any color, breaking her tie with Ryan Lochte for second all-time behind Michael Phelps' 33. She won a 21st individual medal, breaking her tie with Phelps for second all-time behind Swede Sarah Sjostrom's 23. Ledecky has two events left at these worlds: the 4x200m free relay on Thursday and the 800m free, the most anticipated race of the meet due to a likely showdown with Canadian Summer McIntosh. That final is Saturday. Also Tuesday, Australian Kaylee McKeown swam the second-fastest women's 100m backstroke in history — 57.16 seconds — to overtake American Regan Smith. Fellow American Katharine Berkoff took bronze in a repeat of the Paris Olympic podium. Smith, the world record holder at 57.13, and McKeown combine to own the top 25 times in history. Romanian David Popovici rallied past American Luke Hobson in the last 50 meters to win the 200m free in 1:43.53. Hobson took silver in 1:43.84, one year after earning bronze behind gold medalist Popovici at the Olympics. Olympic 200m breaststroke gold medalist Kate Douglass gave the U.S. a third silver of the session. She finished runner-up to German Anna Elendt in the 100m breast. Pieter Coetze of South Africa rallied from third at the 50 to take the men's 100m back in 51.85. Coetze matched the third-best time in history in relegating Olympic champion Thomas Ceccon of Italy to silver. Worlds continue all week with preliminary heats at 10 p.m. ET and finals at 7 a.m., live on Peacock. Wednesday's finals feature Olympic champion Bobby Finke in the men's 800m freestyle. Nick Zaccardi, David Popovici of Romania touched the wall just 0.31 seconds ahead of U.S. swimmer Luke Hobson to secure the gold medal in the men's 200m freestyle at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore.

Canada's Masse finishes fourth in 100m backstroke at world swimming championships

National Post