Kaylee McKeown the latest Aussie to break short course record at Swimming World Cup

Renewing the rivalry with US star Regan Smith that has continued to push both women - and the backstroke events - to new highs, McKeown hit the wall in 1:57.87, just 0.04 ahead of Smith, to set a new short course mark in the 200m just a day after Smith equalled her own 100m record.

McKeown sliced 0.17 from the mark Smith set at the world short course championships last year, reclaiming the record she held from 2020-2024 when Smith first broke it in Singapore in November before lowering it again the following month.

McKeown has had the wood on Smith in major championships, beating her great rival in both the 100m and 200m backstroke at last year’s Games in Paris, to complete the Olympic double-double after winning both events in Tokyo.

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O’Callaghan shatters records in historic 200m freestyle swim

But Smith has been in outstanding form and equalled her own 100m world record on the opening day of the World Cup in Westmont, Illinois, the same day O’Callaghan took the 200m freestyle into new territory, becoming the first woman to break the 1:50 barrier for the event.

She could not repeat the effort in the 100m freestyle though, American Kate Douglas breaking Cate Campbell’s longstanding world record (50.25), with a swim of 50.19, touching more than a second ahead of O’Callaghan in the final.

Australia’s Lani Pallister won the 1500m freestyle in 15:13.83, the second-fastest women’s short course time in history behind the world record of 15:08.24 set by American Katie Ledecky in 2022 at Toronto, where next week’s concluding World Cup races will be contested.