100 metres Backstroke, Women

Australia’s Kaylee McKeown was the defending gold medalist, having won both backstrokes at Tokyo 2020, and she had won the backstroke trifecta at the 2023 World Championships. She had set two world records, the last at a World Cup in Budapest, in October 2023. However, American Regan Smith, the bronze medalist from Tokyo 2020, had broken that world record at the recent USA Olympic Trials, recording 57.13 to take 2/10ths off McKeown’s record. This event was expected to be a battle between the two for gold-silver.

They qualified with almost identical times in the semi-finals, with Smith 2/100ths to the better. In the final Smith, went out in the lead on the first lap, tied with Canadian Kylie Masse at the turn. McKeown was then in fourth, but only 6/100ths behind the leaders. Smith had the second fastest final lap, but McKeown caught her and won by 33/100ths with a furious finish. American Katharine Berkoff had the third best time on each lap and took the bronze medal, just ahead of Masse.

Two days later, McKeown would also win the 200 metre backstroke, again with Regan Smith taking silver. She became only the second woman to defend her Olympic 100 backstroke title, after American Natalie Coughlin in 2004-08. McKeown would finish the Paris Olympics with five gold medals and four individual gold medals overall, equal to the third-most individual swimming golds, after American Katie Ledecky with eight, and Hungary’s Krisztina Egerszegi with five.

Berkoff’s medal in the 100 backstroke was the third for her family, as her father Dave Berkoff had won silver in the men’s event in 1988 and bronze in 1992.