Regan Smith broke her second women’s 100m backstroke World Record this year, this time in the 25m short-course pool format. Smith clocked 54.41 seconds in the Friday night finals at the World Aquatics Swimming World Cup in Incheon, South Korea.
Regan Smith lowered the previous record of 54.56 that Australia’s Kaylee McKeown set 29 days ago on 26 September at the Australian National Championships (25m) in Adelaide.
Smith and McKeown have taken women’s backstroke to new levels in the 25m and 50m pool. In long-course racing, Smith set the women’s 100m backstroke World Record at 57.13 at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials, breaking McKeown’s record of 57.33. At the Paris 2024 Olympics, Keown won gold and Smith silver in the women’s 100m backstroke.
🚨WOOORLD RECORD🚨
— World Aquatics (@WorldAquatics) October 25, 2024
🇺🇸 Regan Smith sets the bar higher with an incredible swim in the 100m Backstroke (25m) #SWC2024 #FASTLANE #UNITEDBYRACING pic.twitter.com/OssktHVt80
“I came into the World Cup series with no clue how I would perform. I am psyched, that was a great race.,” Smith told World Aquatics after her record-breaking performance. “I’m having fun and enjoying the process.”
Canada's Ingrid Wilm finished 1.73 seconds behind in second, with USA's Beata Nelson completing the podium.
Contributing: Gregory Eggert