McKeown beats Smith again for world backstroke double
McKeown again got the better of Regan Smith, touching the wall in a championships-record 2min 03.33sec to beat her American arch-rival into second place in 2:04.29.
Another American, Claire Curzan, was third in 2:06.04.
McKeown picked up the 100m backstroke gold earlier this week in Singapore – also beating Smith into second – for her sixth career world title.
She also won the 100-200 backstroke double at the Tokyo and Paris Olympics.
McKeown made a fast start but Smith held on and overtook her rival heading into the final lap.
McKeown switched up the gears to regain the lead and power towards the finish, although she fell just short of her own world record.
The Australian's time was the third-fastest swim ever.
amk/pst
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
26 minutes ago
- The Sun
Piastri leads Norris in McLaren's Hungarian GP practice dominance
FORMULA ONE championship leader Oscar Piastri beat team-mate and title rival Lando Norris by just three-hundredths of a second as McLaren dominated Saturday's third and final practice session at the Hungarian Grand Prix. The two McLaren men clocked times of 1min 14.916 sec and 1:14.948 respectively to finish 0.399 clear of third-placed Charles Leclerc of Ferrari and are separated by just 0.032 seconds. Piastri's best lap was three-tenths faster than Norris' pole lap last year and set up a thrilling duel in prospect for qualifying later on Saturday when rising temperatures, requiring additional cooling for the cars, will favour different teams. After his struggles in Belgium last weekend and on Friday in Hungary, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton bounced back to more familiar form by taking fourth place, three-tenths adrift of Leclerc. Four-time champion Max Verstappen wound up 12th for Red Bull. The close nature of the contest would have intrigued the visiting Bernie Ecclestone, Formula One's retired former ringmaster who negotiated the first Hungarian race, behind the 'iron curtain' in 1986. With 20 minutes gone, the big teams joined the fray. After his travails on Friday, Verstappen needed some improvement and quickly clocked 1:16.547 to go top only for Leclerc, George Russell and then Piastri to move clear. The Australian's lap of 1:16.240 lifted him clear of Russell, but it was not enough to resist the increased pace of Verstappen who went top in 1:16.202 -- half a second better than his Friday best. Contrary to Hamilton's struggles, Leclerc showed pace in his Ferrari to beat Verstappen after half an hour in 1:16.137, six-hundredths of a second clear, but Piastri returned to remind his rivals of his affinity with the circuit in 1:15.871. Somewhat unexpectedly, Hamilton then proved his overnight homework had been fruitful by rising to second, ahead of Leclerc, in 1:16.015, a reminder of his status as a record eight-time winner at the Hungaroring. Norris, at this time, was down in fifth, rising to third after 35 minutes, two-tenths adrift of Piastri who, after a pits visit, returned to clock 1:14.916, a lap faster than last year's pole, by Norris, by three-tenths. Norris followed him to overhaul Hamilton who stayed third seven-tenths adrift of the mighty McLarens before being pushed to fourth by Leclerc. - AFP
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Swimming-Walsh blocks out criticism of US team's performance at world championships
Swimming - World Aquatics Championships - Women 50m Freestyle - World Aquatics Championships Arena, Singapore - August 2, 2025 Gretchen Walsh of the U.S. during heat 11 REUTERS/Hollie Adams (Reuters) -Gretchen Walsh admits she struggles to understand the flak being directed at the U.S. team over their performance at the world championships in Singapore and said the swimmers have been competing under extremely difficult circumstances. The U.S. team were hit by an outbreak of acute gastroenteritis during a training camp in Thailand just before the championships, with several swimmers travelling late to Singapore and other having to pull out of events. On Friday, six-time Olympic champion Ryan Lochte shared an image on social media of a tombstone with the inscription: "In loving memory of United States Swimming. They set the bar high -- until they stopped reaching for it." He also added a caption referencing the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, saying: "Call it a funeral or call it a fresh start. We've got 3 years." U.S. swimming great Michael Phelps then shared Lochte's post and added: "Is this the wake-up call USA swimming needed?" Asked about the criticism Walsh, who won the 50 metres butterfly title on Saturday to add to her 100 crown in Singapore, said she was trying to ignore it. "I was made aware, and it's frustrating, but I think that personally, I am just trying to block it out and take on the meet with everything I can and just show up and race like I know how... "I think we've been dealing with a lot so it's hard to get the criticism in the first place because I don't think people quite understand the magnitude of everything going on behind the scenes. "But showing up, giving my best, and coming out a world champion twice now has been everything, and I'm just happy to keep doing it and happy that I'm feeling like myself again in the water." The U.S. top the medal standings with eight golds, one ahead of rivals Australia with one final day of competition to come. The U.S. have won only one individual gold in the men's events, Luca Urlando claiming the 200 butterfly title. Jack Alexy, who was part of the team that won the mixed 4x100 mixed freestyle gold in a world record time on Saturday, said U.S. athletes were always held to the highest of standards. "It's definitely fuel to the fire for the next couple years," added Alexy, who also has a silver and two bronze medals from his events in Singapore. "And the theme going into this meet was setting off the tone right for LA 2028. So I think we're continuing to do a better job at that, especially after tonight, and I'm really excited for the future." (Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
2025 World Aquatics: USA breaks mixed 4x100m freestyle world record
THE United States set a new world record in sealing a dominant victory in the mixed 4x100m freestyle relay at the world championships on Saturday. The US team took gold in Singapore in 3min 18.48sec, beating Australia's previous leading time of 3:18.83 set in 2023. The 'neutral athletes' team from Russia finished second in 3:19.68, with France third in 3:21.35. The American team of Jack Alexy, Patrick Sammon, Kate Douglass and Torri Huske took control from the start and from then on their battle was against the clock. 'We all came out tonight wanting to get that win for Team USA and with the world record, we all knew in the back of our mind we had that ability,' said Douglass. 'I'm really happy with how it turned out.' The US topped the medal table at the start of the day and their latest success consolidated their lead heading into the final day of the championships. 'It's great to be racing with my team-mates,' said Alexy. 'The world record was in the back of our minds.' - AFP
