Two swimmers, American Kate Douglass and Australian Kaylee McKeown, shattered world records on the final day of the World Cup in Westmont, United States, underscoring a rapid advancement in short-course swimming.
Douglass set a new mark in the women’s 100 meters freestyle, finishing in 50.19 seconds. This performance surpassed the previous record of 50.25 seconds, which had been held by Australia’s Cate Campbell since October 26, 2017.
In the 200 meters backstroke, McKeown delivered a dominant performance to claim a new world record. The Australian touched the wall in 1 minute, 57.87 seconds.
The previous mark of 1:58.04 in the 200 meters backstroke was set by American Regan Smith on December 15, 2024. Smith also competed in the Westmont race, finishing second with a time of 1:57.91, which itself surpassed her previous world-record performance despite McKeown’s faster finish.
Both record-breaking swims took place on Sunday, concluding the international swimming event held in the United States.