Kaylee McKeown Dominates Australian Trials Despite Illness, Aims for Personal Bests

Kaylee McKeown is tired of waiting to break her backstroke records after another sterling meet at the Australian Swimming Trials.

Despite dominating the field in the 50m, 100m and 200m backstroke, McKeown was not blown away by her performances as she struggled with illness.

The 24-year-old said she was feeling about 86 years old after winning the 100m on Tuesday and was in pain again after the gruelling 200m on Thursday night.

Ultimately, the world, Olympic and Commonwealth champion maintained her backstroke dominance with a season-best 2:03.98, just 0.84 for a second off her world record and almost four seconds faster than second-placed Iona Anderson (2:07.59).

She told Channel Nine she was "in so much pain" in the final 15 metres and admitted after the race that the physical toll of the longest backstroke distance occupied more of her mind than it used to.

"I was quite nervous for that race tonight, more so for the pain. It never gets easier," she told reporters.

"I think I need to start doing a bit [more] longer racing distances to kind of make that event feel easier.

"When you think back to when you're younger, you jump up a tree, then jump out of the tree and not necessarily think about breaking your arm. The older you get, the more you think about that, and it's the same with swimming.

"For me, I just think about the pain of this event, I don't necessarily think about the race itself anymore."

Despite the comprehensive victory and her best time of the year, McKeown was hoping for more.

Unfortunately, she is cursed by her own lofty standards.

"I haven't PB'd in like three-and-a-half years, so I'm waiting for it," she said.

McKeown swam a personal best in the 100m as she won gold at the world championships in Singapore last year, but remained 0.03 outside Regan.

At the halfway mark, McKeown was on pace to break her world record — a 2:03.14 set at the NSW State Championships in 2023, the same year she also claimed world-best marks in the 50m and 100m — but could not keep up that speed and eventually dropped behind the red line in Sydney.

McKeown said she wanted to get more comfortable with going out hard from the blocks because "it's what all the Americans are doing".

"Unfortunately, I died in the back end, but hopefully with a bit more training, a bit more confidence, the times will come," she said.

McKeown swam a personal best in the 100m as she won gold at the world championships in Singapore last year, but remained 0.03 outside American Regan Smith's world record, set in 2024.