Home

McKeown sets 100m backstroke world record

Steve LarkinAAP
Mack Horton is still in contention for a place in the 200m freestyle at the Tokyo Olympics.
Camera IconMack Horton is still in contention for a place in the 200m freestyle at the Tokyo Olympics. Credit: AAP

Australia's Kaylee McKeown says the death of her father 10 months ago inspired her 100m backstroke world record.

For veteran Emily Seebohm, motivation stemmed from being told she was too fat and too old to make another Olympic team.

The backstrokers - and Ariarne Titmus after swimming the second-fastest women's 400m freestyle ever - were in tears for different reasons on Sunday night.

At Australia's Olympic selection trials in Adelaide, McKeown set a world benchmark in the 100m backstroke final.

Get in front of tomorrow's news for FREE

Journalism for the curious Australian across politics, business, culture and opinion.

READ NOW

Seebohm finished second and will go to her fourth Olympics.

But Mack Horton's hope of an individual swim at next month's Tokyo Games vanished when sixth in a 200m freestyle final won by Kyle Chalmers.

The Game AFL 2024

In the women's backstroke, the 19-year-old McKeown clocked 57.45 seconds, bettering the world benchmark of 57.57 set by American Regan Smith in 2019.

McKeown's father Sholto passed away in August last year after a two-year battle with brain cancer. He was aged 53.

"With COVID and the passing of my Dad in August last year, it has been a huge, huge build-up to these trials," she said.

"And I have turned it into a bit of a hunger and motivation ... I use it every day that I wake up, I know it's a privilege to be on this earth and walk and talk.

"So to get up and do that tonight is not really for me but my family."

The 29-year-old Seebohm said the Tokyo Games will be her sweetest Olympics.

Seebohm was written off in 2019 when failing to make Australia's team for the world championships.

"A lot of people said that I wasn't going to do it - I was too old, I needed to lose weight, I needed to look different," an emotional Seebohm said.

"I just stuck to my guns."

Reigning world 400m freestyle champion Titmus was also in tears - of relief at making her first Olympic team.

Titmus shrugged off a shoulder ailment to get within a whisker of the world record of America's five-time Olympic gold medallist Katie Ledecky.

Titmus clocked three minutes 56.90 seconds, just 0.44 seconds off Ledecky's record.

"I honestly didn't think I could go that fast," Titmus said.

In the men's 200m freestyle final, reigning 100m Olympic champion Chalmers triumphed with Horton trailing into sixth.

After missing selection on Saturday night to defend his 400m freestyle Olympic title, Horton's Tokyo Games will be solely as a member of the 4x200m freestyle relay team.

Mitch Larkin won the men's 100m backstroke in 53.40 - the exact Olympic qualifying time - and in the women's 100m breaststroke, winner Chelsea Hodges and second-placed Jessica Hansen both earnt Olympic berths.

Get the latest news from thewest.com.au in your inbox.

Sign up for our emails