Mollie O’Callaghan and Kaylee McKeown made a strong entrance into Australia’s swimming scene following Ariarne Titmus’s retirement, breaking short course world records at the World Cup meet in Westmont, Ill.
O’Callaghan, the Olympic 200-meter freestyle champion, set a new record of 1:49.77 in the event on Saturday, surpassing Siobhan Haughey’s previous mark of 1:50.31 from 2021.
On the final night of the meet, McKeown outpaced her competitor Regan Smith to win the 200 backstroke in 1:57.87, erasing Smith’s previous best of 1:58.04 set at the short course world championships last December.
McKeown’s victory over Smith in the 200 backstroke was a reversal from the previous day when Smith won the 100 backstroke title and equaled her short course world record of 54.02 seconds.
In a change of strategy, McKeown took the lead in the 200 backstroke and successfully fended off Smith’s challenge to claim the win.
Reflecting on her performance, McKeown, a two-time Olympic gold medalist in the 100 and 200 backstroke, expressed her satisfaction with her aggressive approach in the race.
The achievements of the Australian swimmers followed Ariarne Titmus’s surprising retirement announcement at the age of 25, adding to the spotlight on their success.
Kate Douglass of the United States also made waves by breaking the world record in the 100 freestyle with a time of 50.19, surpassing Cate Campbell’s previous record of 50.25 set in 2017. Douglass, known for her versatility, now holds three short course world records.
The upcoming third and final meet of the World Cup series is set to take place in Toronto starting Thursday.
