In addition to becoming the first woman and second swimmer to hold the world records in all three backstroke events in an Olympic-sized pool, Australian Kaylee McKeown also broke the 50-meter backstroke mark.
At a World Cup competition in Budapest on Friday, McKeown recorded a time of 26.86 seconds, breaking the previous mark of 26.98 established by China’s Liu Xiang in 2018.
The world record for the 100-meter back was then broken by McKeown on Saturday, falling from 57.45 to 57.33.
According to World Aquatics, McKeown owns the five fastest 100-meter back speeds in history and has surpassed the 58-second mark 14 times. Regan Smith, an American, has broken 58 times, and Kylie Masse, a Canadian, has done so three times.
The 50-meter back is a world championship event instead of an Olympic event. The event’s first known world record dates back to 1997, while the records for the 100- and 200-meter backstrokes date back considerably further.
McKeown made history this past July when she won the 50-, 100-, and 200-meter backstroke titles at a single world competition. She also won gold in the 100- and 200-meter backstroke events in Tokyo.
The 200-meter back world record was held by McKeown, 22, this past March, and the 100-meter back world record by her since June 2021.
McKeown is not the first female world record holder in all stroke events. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Penny Heyns of South Africa held the world records for the 50-, 100-, and 200-meter breaststrokes.
McKeown has the potential to become the second swimmer to win multiple Olympic backstroke titles the following year. Roland Matthes, an East German, accomplished so in 1968 and 1972.