Another world record falls at Olympic trials. Regan Smith sets mark in 100 back
INDIANAPOLIS — First the American record, then the world record for Regan Smith — all while officially qualifying for her second Olympic Games.
Smith smashed and reclaimed the women’s 100-meter backstroke world record Tuesday night at the U.S. Olympic swimming trials at Lucas Oil Stadium, lowering the mark to 57.13.
The previous record was 57.33, which Australian swimmer Kaylee McKeown set in 2023. Smith owned the 100 back world record in 2019, but McKeown broke it in 2021 before lowering it again in 2023.
“It was part of the plan,” Smith told NBC Sports about getting the world record back. “I’m so proud of myself; backstroke is hard for me sometimes. To fight back like this and get that back, it means a lot.”
To qualify for the trials final, Smith broke her own American record Monday night with a time of 57.47, nearly setting the world record then. Now, all of the above belong to the 22-year-old former Stanford swimmer, who’s locked in for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“We’re gonna take a couple minutes here to be really proud of what I accomplished,” she said. “And then it’s back to work. I’ve got more things I want to accomplish this week.”
At the Olympic trials, Smith is also entered in the 200-meter backstroke and 200-meter butterfly. She previously tried to qualify for Paris in the 100-meter butterfly, but after advancing to Sunday’s final, she came up short, finishing third behind new world record holder and first-time Olympian Gretchen Walsh and now-two-time Olympian Torri Huske.
Katharine Berkoff finished second in Tuesday’s 100 back final at 57.91 and should be Team USA’s second swimmer in the event in Paris. During Monday’s semifinal, Berkoff qualified with a time of 57.83, becoming just the fifth woman ever to break the 58-second mark, per NBC Sports’ Rowdy Gaines.