The United States' Regan Smith and Katharine Berkoff both won medals in the 100 meter backstroke event.
Smith and Berkoff represented the USA and were able to earn additional medals for their country in this swimming competition.
The highly anticipated women's 100-meter backstroke event at the Paris Olympics did not disappoint, as Australian swimmer Kaylee McKeown narrowly edged out American Regan Smith to win the gold medal.McKeown set an Olympic record time of 57.33 seconds, while Smith claimed the silver medal with a time of 57.66 seconds. Another American, Katharine Berkoff, took the bronze medal, finishing in 57.98 seconds.
This was Smith's second Olympics, and she was still seeking her first career Olympic gold medal, having won three other medals previously. The race featured a thrilling showdown between the top swimmers from the USA and Australia, as the finalists qualified within less than a second of each other, setting the stage for an extremely close and competitive event.
The women's 100-meter backstroke final at the Paris Olympics featured a showdown between the current and former 100-back world record holders. Since 2019, Regan Smith of the United States and Kaylee McKeown of Australia have broken the 100-back world record multiple times.
Smith first broke the record in 2019. McKeown then took the record in 2021 before lowering it again in 2023. But Smith won back the world record at the U.S. Olympic trials in June 2024, setting the stage for their highly anticipated clash in Paris.
As the Olympics progressed, it became important to keep track of the overall medal counts for each country. We will follow along and provide updates on the medal standings across all sports at the 2024 Paris Games.
Smith first broke the record in 2019. McKeown then took the record in 2021 before lowering it again in 2023. But Smith won back the world record at the U.S. Olympic trials in June 2024, setting the stage for their highly anticipated clash in Paris.
As the Olympics progressed, it became important to keep track of the overall medal counts for each country. We will follow along and provide updates on the medal standings across all sports at the 2024 Paris Games.
Kaylee McKeown, the 2021 Tokyo Olympics 100m backstroke gold medalist, settled for the silver medal in Paris. In Tokyo, McKeown had bested Canada's Kylie Masse, who won silver, while Smith claimed the bronze medal.
In addition to her 100m backstroke gold in Tokyo, McKeown had also won the 200m backstroke title at those Games, demonstrating her prowess in the backstroke events.