Kaylee McKeown Wins 100m Backstroke Olympic Gold

Australian Kaylee McKeown won the women's 100-meter backstroke at the Paris Olympics with an Olympic record time of 57.33 seconds, narrowly defeating American Regan Smith, who took silver with 57.66 seconds. Katharine Berkoff, a former North Carolina State swimmer and Missoula native, secured the bronze with a time of 57.98 seconds, marking her first Olympic medal. The race added to the storied USA-Australian swimming rivalry and featured both current and former world record holders, Smith and McKeown, who have exchanged the world record title multiple times since 2019. Berkoff's achievement follows an impressive collegiate career, where she became a five-time NCAA champion and the first woman to win five straight titles in the 100-yard backstroke at the ACC Tournament. McKeown previously won gold in the 100 and 200 backstroke events at the Tokyo 2021 Olympics.