Kaylee McKeown may be the undisputed force of world backstroke, but even after sweeping the 50m, 100m and 200m at the Australian Swimming Trials, the Olympic champion left the pool wanting more.
Battling illness throughout the meet, the 24‑year‑old admitted she felt “about 86 years old” after winning the 100m earlier in the week and the gruelling 200m on Thursday night brought more of the same. Despite the discomfort, she delivered a season‑best 2:03.98, just 0.84 seconds outside her world record and nearly four seconds clear of second‑placed Iona Anderson.
McKeown told Channel Nine she was “in so much pain” over the final 15 metres, later explaining that the physical toll of the longest backstroke event weighs on her more than it once did. She compared it to childhood fearlessness: when you’re young, you leap from a tree without thinking; as you get older, you think about the landing. Swimming, she said, now feels the same.
“I was quite nervous for that race tonight, more so for the pain. It never gets easier,” she said. “I think I need to start doing a bit more longer racing distances to make that event feel easier.”
Even with a dominant victory and her fastest time of the year, McKeown confessed she had hoped for more. The problem, she joked, is that she’s a victim of her own sky‑high standards.
“I haven’t PB’d in like three‑and‑a‑half years, so I’m waiting for it,” she said.
Her last personal best in the 100m came during her world‑title win in Singapore last year, but the backstroke superstar remains hungry and determined to break through again.
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