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Kaylee McKeown wins gold at Olympics - but did the 'slow' pool cost her a world record?

The Aussie made history by defending her 100m backstroke title at the Paris Olympics.

sam goodwin
Sports Editor
·5-min read

Kaylee McKeown has won Australia's sixth gold medal of the Paris Games and become just the fourth Aussie woman to defend a title at the Olympics, but questions are being asked about whether the controversial pool cost her a world record. McKeown triumphed in the 100m backstroke on Tuesday night in Paris, narrowly beating American world record holder Regan Smith.

It meant McKeown defended her title in the event after also winning gold at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. The only other Aussie women to defend a title at the Olympics are Ariarne Titmus, Dawn Fraser and Shirley Strickland, while the only other athlete to defend the 100m backstroke title is American Natalie Coughlin (2004 and 2008).

McKeown, whose father passed away in 2020 after a battle with brain cancer, won in a new Olympic record time of 57.33 seconds, while Smith was second in 57.66. "I like to think I have a little bit of a superpower and that's my dad," she told Channel 9 after the race. "I am just over the moon. He would be extremely proud of me ... I know that he's here in spirit."

Kaylee McKeown at the Paris Olympics.
Kaylee McKeown broke the Olympic record to win gold in Paris - but should it have been a world record? Image: Getty

Viewers were blown away by McKeown's swim - especially in light of how slow the pool has been in Paris this week. But many couldn't help but wonder whether the shallow pool robbed the Aussie of taking back her world record.

The 23-year-old held the world mark until Smith broke it earlier this year with a time of 57.13. The winner of the 100m backstroke in Paris was expected to lower that mark again, but it didn't eventuate on Tuesday night.

The pool at the Paris Olympics, pictured here during Kaylee McKeown's win.
The pool at the Paris Olympics is much shallower and slower than usual. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

The speed of the pool has been the talk of the swimming world all week, and not a single world record has been broken so far. The depth of the pool in Paris is just 2.15m - well off the recommended mark of 3m but below the minimum requirement. It means the pool is choppier and harder to swim in, resulting in some much slower times in Paris.

McKeown seemed to make a mockery of the slow pool with her triumph, but many were left questioning what could have been if the pool was deeper and faster. Swimming commentator Braden Smith wrote on social media: "Wow, Kaylee McKeown putting up THAT TIME in THIS POOL. Imagine what a show-stopper that could have been in a faster pool."

Regan Smith, Kaylee McKeown and Katharine Berkoff.
Regan Smith, Kaylee McKeown and Katharine Berkoff after the 100m backstroke final at the Paris Olympics. (Photo by Jari Pestelacci/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)

Mollie O'Callaghan also set a new Olympic record in the 200m freestyle on Monday night, but no world records have been broken at this stage. Six world records were broken in the pool in Tokyo in 2021, while eight world marks were better in Rio in 2016.

The situation has been described as an "absolute joke" and "ridiculous" on social media, while some have also pointed out the conditions in the athletes' village aren't exactly conducive to high performance. The food options in the village have been widely panned, and the cardboard beds are causing major headaches for the athletes.

Ariarne Titmus admitted she was surprised by her slow time when she won the 400m freestyle gold - and partly blamed it on the conditions in the village. “It probably wasn’t the time I thought I was capable of, but living in the Olympic Village makes it hard to perform,” Titmus said on Sunday. “It’s definitely not made for high performance, so it’s about who can really keep it together in the mind.”

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McKeown collected gold in both the 100m and 200m backstroke events in Tokyo three years ago, and will begin the defence of her 200m crown on Thursday with heats and semi-finals ahead of Friday's medal race.

She has also added the 200m individual medley to her program in Paris, with the final of that event on Saturday. The Queenslander now has four gold medals in her Olympic career after also featuring in Australia's triumphant women's 4x100 medley team in Tokyo.

She is also likely to feature in Australia's team in the medley final on the last day of competition on Sunday. If all goes to plan she's a real shot at scoring four gold medals in Paris - which would be a record for an Aussie athlete.

with AAP