Italy's Curtis takes McKeown's 50m backstroke world record
PARIS: Italian teenager Sara Curtis smashed Australian Kaylee McKeown’s 50m women’s backstroke world record with a time of 26.63 seconds in the semi-finals of the European aquatics championships in Paris on Wednesday.
In Paris, Italian swimmer Sara Curtis broke Australian Kaylee McKeown's 50m women's backstroke world record during the semi-finals of the European Aquatics Championships. Curtis achieved a time of 26.63 seconds, surpassing McKeown's previous record of 26.86 seconds, which was set at a World Cup event in Budapest on October 20, 2023.
McKeown, an Olympic gold medalist, expressed her surprise at the achievement, stating, "I knew I was capable of doing it but I didn't expect it here, in this race, in this moment." The 19-year-old Italian, a student at the University of Virginia, had previously won bronze in the 100m freestyle and secured the top seed in the 50m backstroke after setting a European record of 27.07 seconds in Rome last June.
Curtis also secured a silver medal in the 4x100m freestyle relay. Russian swimmer Alina Gaifutdinova finished second in the semi-finals with a time of 26.91 seconds, marking the third fastest time in history. McKeown's record was notable as she was the first person to simultaneously hold the 50, 100, and 200m backstroke world records since World Aquatics began tracking the shortest distance in 1997.
The Australian still holds the 200m backstroke record. Meanwhile, Sweden's Sarah Sjostrom claimed the women's 50m butterfly title, matching her world record time of 25.05 seconds, with Belgian Roos Vanotterdijk taking silver.
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