O’Callaghan shatters Haughey’s 200m freestyle record, McKeown sets new 200m backstroke mark
Australian pair Mollie O’Calaghan and Kaylee McKeown get post-Titmus era off to record-setting start at World Cup meet
Mollie O’Callaghan and Kaylee McKeown launched Australia’s post-Ariarne Titmus era in style by smashing short course world records at the World Cup meet in Westmont, Illinois.
Olympic 200m freestyle champion O’Callaghan swam one minute, 49.77 seconds for victory in the same event, eclipsing the previous mark of 1:50.31 set by Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey in 2021.
McKeown then held off fierce rival Regan Smith to win the 200 backstroke in 1:57.87 on the final night of the meet on Sunday, erasing the American’s previous best of 1:58.04 set at the short course world championships last December.
McKeown’s win turned the tables on Smith, who had edged the Australian for the 100 backstroke title on Saturday and equalled her own short course world record of 54.02 in the process.
While McKeown usually allows Smith an early lead before hunting her down, the Australian led hard from the front in the 200 and held her off to the wall.
“I wanted to see what I could do tonight,” said 24-year-old McKeown, who has won the 100 and 200 backstroke gold medals at the last two Olympics.