Agency :
World record holder Regan Smith was fastest in the women’s 100 metres backstroke preliminaries at the World Championships in Singapore on Monday as the American laid down an early marker in her upcoming battle with Australia’s Kaylee McKeown.
The pair have built up quite the rivalry, with McKeown completing a triumphant defence of her Olympic 100 and 200 backstroke titles when the two faced off in Paris last year, with Smith having to settle for silver in both events.
Smith came into the World Championships as the top seed in the event ahead of five-times Olympic gold medallist McKeown and posted a time 58.20 on the second day of competition at the Singapore Sports Hub.
American Katharine Berkoff was second quickest with 58.55, while 2023 world champion McKeown’s time of 58.57 put her in third heading into the semis later on Monday.
In the men’s event, world record holder and Olympic champion Thomas Ceccon was given a scare as he only squeaked into the semi-finals with the 13th-fastest time in the heats.
Frenchman Yohann Ndoye-Brouard was fastest, touching the wall in a personal best 52.30, with Russian Kliment Kolesnikov, competing as a neutral athlete, second quickest with 52.57.
Italian Ceccon’s time was 1.35 adrift of Ndoye-Brouard’s mark.
American great Katie Ledecky put the disappointment of missing out on the 400 freestyle title on Sunday behind her with a strong swim in her signature event — the lung-bursting 1,500 freestyle.
