Swimming-Australian McKeown wins women's 200m backstroke gold

By Qatar Day - July 31, 2021

Tokyo 2020 Olympics - Swimming - Women's 200m Backstroke - Final - Tokyo Aquatics Centre - Tokyo, Japan - July 31, 2021. Kaylee McKeown of Australia reacts after winning gold REUTERS/Marko Djurica

REUTERS

Kaylee McKeown of Australia won the gold medal in the women's 200m backstroke at the Tokyo Olympics on Saturday.

Kaylee McKeown has done the double at the Tokyo Olympics, winning gold in 200m backstroke four days after taking out the 100m backstroke final.

McKeown sat second for the first 150 metres on Saturday before rushing past Canada’s Kylie Masse, who finished 0.74 seconds behind for silver, in the final leg.

Australian veteran Emily Seebohm recovered to win bronze after sitting seventh at the halfway mark and fifth at the final turn before her own stellar last 50m.

McKeown’s gold medal in 2:04.68 marked an improvement in colour and time on her silver in the 200m backstroke final at the 2019 world championships.

The 20-year-old’s triumph also gave Australia its 10th gold medal at Tokyo 2020.

She will swim for another in Saturday afternoon’s mixed 4x100m medley relay final.

Seebohm, meanwhile, was in tears of joy after the 200m backstroke final.

“I’m sorry, it’s so amazing. I never thought this was going to happen again,” she said.

Now 29 and in her fourth Olympics, Seebohm said she was “just so proud” of the team.

“The team has done so well and it’s an absolute dream on this team and I’m so grateful for all the times I’ve been on the Australian swim team,” she said.

“Honestly, it’s been the favourite thing of my entire career.”

Meanwhile, Australia’s Matthew Temple finished equal fifth in the 100m butterfly final as American Caeleb Dressel won gold with a new world record.

Dressel touched the wall in 49.45, narrowly ahead of Hungarian silver medallist Kristof Milak, with Swiss swimmer Noe Ponti one second behind in bronze.

Dressel joins Mark Spitz as the only two men in history to win 100m freestyle and 100m butterfly gold medals at the same Olympics.

Editing by Nick Mulvenney.