Kaylee McKeown completed an extraordinary weekend in Budapest with a third race victory and the lucrative title of overall women’s world champion.
Key points:
- Kaylee McKeown won all nine backstroke events in the series of three World Cup swimming competitions
- McKeown is the only swimmer, male or female, to hold all three world records in the same stroke from 50m to 200m.
- McKeown received a $158,000 bonus for being the number one swimmer at the World Cup
The 22-year-old Australian swimming star proved untouchable again on Sunday in her third backstroke triumph of the weekend, adding the 200m crown to the 100m and 50m titles she had won with world records over the previous two days.
Such is her mastery that there was almost a shiver of disappointment that the Queenslander was unable to achieve three world records in three consecutive days – even though she already holds the world record in the 200 and remains the world’s only female swimmer to hold three world records. marks in one fell swoop, male or female.
Her consolation this time was a World Cup record of 2 minutes 04.81 seconds, which lowered the record she had set the previous weekend in Athens, although it did not threaten her own world record of 2:03.14 set in Sydney in March.
But his perfect record of nine backstroke wins in nine events, while breaking World Cup records in each of them in Berlin, Athens and now Budapest, saw the Redcliffe ace claim the 100,000 bonus $ ($158,000) for the series winner.
With more prize money won for her 10 race wins in total – she also won the 200m individual medley in Berlin – it was a hugely profitable 16 days for McKeown.
“I really didn’t expect this result. It’s beautiful and it’s a great experience to get from these World Cups,” McKeown said.
“It gives me extra motivation – and some money from these last PBs.
“It’s really nice to bring these results back to Australia. We can’t always think about the Olympics because it can be overwhelming, so I often wake up thinking about training.”
The swimmer coached by Michael Bohl showed no signs of fatigue as she reached the first turn 0.01 seconds ahead of the 200m world record.
But even though she couldn’t continue the assault on her Sydney mark, she still destroyed all her opposition, with 200m runner-up Anastasiya Shkurdai of Belarus finishing almost five seconds behind her.
The bad news for his opposition is that McKeown has no intention of taking the pressure off as the Olympics approach.
“My confidence level is probably where it was after this summer’s World Championships. I still have a lot to do mentally and physically. If you don’t learn, you don’t grow, so I have to look for those 1s to hundred that make the difference in my swimming,” she said.
Another standout Australian performance came from Sydney’s Lani Pallister, who won the women’s 800m freestyle by over 7 seconds and broke her own World Cup record in the process, with a time of 8:15, 11 while improving on the 8:16.82 she recorded in Berlin.
Australian sisters Bronte Campbell (4th in 53.42 seconds) and Cate Campbell (5th in 53.43) were unable to enter the 100m freestyle, with Hong Kong’s Siobhán Haughey (52.24) ahead of the great Swedish Sarah Sjöström (53.25) for the title. more than a second.
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