LOS ANGELES (AFP) – Regan Smith clocked a world record 57.13sec to win the 100m backstroke at the US Olympic swimming trials on Tuesday, throwing down a challenge to Aussie Kaylee McKeown six weeks before the Paris Games.
Smith eclipsed the world record of 57.33 set by McKeown in Budapest in October 2023.
"It was part of the plan," Smith said of regaining the record she held back in 2019.
She'd signalled her intentions by lowering her American record to 57.47 in the semi-finals and with Katharine Berkoff pushing her all the way she came up with a late push to slice two-tenths of a second off McKeown's mark.
"I'm so proud of myself," said Smith, who earned two silvers and a bronze at the Tokyo Olympics. "Backstroke is hard for me sometimes, but to fight back like this and get that back means a lot."
Berkoff finished second in 57.91 to set up a powerful US one-two punch in the event in Paris, where McKeown will still be a formidable rival. She posted the 57.41sec at the Australian trials last week.
Smith, who just missed out on a Paris berth in the 100m butterfly behind world record-setter Gretchen Walsh and Torri Huske, has two events remaining this week at Lukas Oil Stadium, the cavernous home of the NFL's Indianapolis Colts that is hosting the event for the first time.
"We're going to take a couple of minutes here to be really proud of what I accomplished and then it's back to work," Smith said. "I've got more things that I want to accomplish this week."
Bobby Finke, double distance freestyle gold medallist in Tokyo, booked his 800m title defense with a victory in 7min 44.22sec, with teenager Luke Whitlock second in 7:45.19.
In his first event of the trials, Tokyo Games star Caeleb Dressel made it safely into the men's 100m freestyle final with the third-fastest time of the semis.
Dressel's five gold medals in Tokyo included the 50m and 100m free and the 100m butterfly.
But he arrived at the trials with his level something of a mystery after he stepped away from the sport abruptly at the 2022 world championships. After a nine-month break he failed to qualify for the 2023 worlds.
US swim star Caeleb Dressel reacts after his 100m freestyle semi-final at the US Olympic swimming trials
Chris Guiliano, already Paris-bound after finishing second to Luke Hobson in the 200m free, topped the semi-finals in 47.25sec.
In the second semi, 21-year-old Jack Alexy held off Dressel, Alexy winning in 47.33 and Dressel touching in 47.53.
It was Dressel's fastest in two years, and he was beaming as he checked the scoreboard and shook hands with Alexy over the lane rope.
Simone Manuel, who won women's 100m free gold at Rio de Janeiro in 2016 but missed the final at the trials for Tokyo as she struggled with the effects of over-training syndrome, won her semi-final in 53.16sec to go into Wednesday's final second-fastest behind Huske.
Huske clocked a personal best 52.90 in pursuit of her second ticket to Paris.