World Cup Athens, Day 1 Finals: Kaylee McKeown Comes Close to Breaking 50 Back World Record
On the first night of finals at the Athens stop of the World Aquatics Swimming World Cup, Kaylee McKeown achieved something extraordinary. She posted the second-fastest 50m backstroke in history, coming within just 0.04 of the world record. This incredible feat by the Australian swimmer was only surpassed by Liu Xhang’s world record of 26.98 from the 2018 Asian Games. McKeown managed to slice 0.06 from her own previous best and Oceania record of 27.08 from the World Championships in Fukuoka. With a time of 27.02, her performance stood out as the highlight of the evening in the Greek capital.
Meanwhile, Pieter Coetze had an outstanding swim of his own in the 200m backstroke. He produced the second-swiftest time of his career, overtaking Thomas Ceccon on the final 50. Coetze’s impressive performance allowed him to secure victory in the event.
The first day of finals at the World Aquatics Swimming World Cup in Athens also saw other incredible swims. Qin Haiyang, Zhang Yufei, and Sarah Sjostrom all emerged victorious in their respective events. Erika Fairweather set a World Cup record in the women’s 400m freestyle, while Danys Rapsys led throughout the men’s 400m freestyle. McKeown continued her dominance in backstroke events, claiming another gold in the women’s 50m backstroke. In the men’s 200m backstroke, Pieter Coetze overtook Thomas Ceccon to secure first place. Zhang Yufei replicated her success from previous competitions by winning the women’s 200m butterfly. Matt Sates emerged as the winner in the men’s 100m butterfly, while Tes Schouten and Qin Haiyang claimed victory in the women’s 200m breaststroke and men’s 100m breaststroke respectively. Sarah Sjöström and Michael Andrew triumphed in the women’s and men’s 50m freestyle events.
It was an exciting start to the World Aquatics Swimming World Cup in Athens, with world records almost being broken and outstanding performances by swimmers from around the world. The competition promises to continue delivering thrilling races and incredible displays of athleticism.
