Regan Smith sizzles in 200m backstroke, Claire Weinstein shocks Katie Ledecky in 200 free
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Regan Smith celebrating after winning the 200m backstroke at the US swimming championships.
PHOTO: AFP
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LOS ANGELES – Regan Smith, shaping up for a world championships showdown with Australian Kaylee McKeown, clocked a blistering 2min 3.80sec to win the 200m backstroke at the US swimming championships on Wednesday.
The 21-year-old, whose previous world record was broken by McKeown in March with a time of 2:03.14, showed again that her move to train with coach Bob Bowman – former mentor of Michael Phelps – was paying off.
“I haven’t been 2:03 in four years, and I’m just so happy to be back where I was,” a beaming Smith said after beating Rhyan White, who finished in 2:05.77. “I’ve been building my confidence this whole year. I’m really excited.”
The American, who also won the 200m butterfly on Tuesday, set up a tantalising test with McKeown at July’s World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan.
Since breaking Smith’s world mark in March, McKeown has gone on to clock an impressive 2:03.70 at the Australian trials earlier in June.
Meanwhile, 16-year-old Claire Weinstein stunned freestyle great Katie Ledecky to win the 200m free.
The teenager was second at the 150m mark but overhauled Ledecky over the final 50m to win in 1:55.26 – two-hundredths of a second in front of the seven-time Olympic gold medallist.
“It feels amazing,” Weinstein beamed, after securing her trip to Fukuoka.
Ledecky had already shown she remains a force to be reckoned with on Tuesday, winning the 800m freestyle
She won the 200m free gold in Rio but was fifth at the Tokyo Games in 2021 in the event that is at the lower edge of her remarkable freestyle range.
Ledecky did not swim the 200m free at the 2022 World Championships in Budapest and if she opts out again, that would open the door for third-place finisher Bella Sims.
In other events on Wednesday, Michael Andrew won the 50m butterfly in 23.11sec with Dare Rose second in 23.20sec.
Caeleb Dressel, a seven-time Olympic gold medallist who returned to competition in May for the first time since withdrawing from the 2022 worlds, was third in an encouraging sign for his comeback bid.
In the women’s 50m fly, Gretchen Walsh punched her ticket to Japan with an American record of 25.11sec.
Lilly King held off Kate Douglass to win the 200m breaststroke in 2:20.95, while Ryan Murphy won his third national title with a 200m backstroke win in 1:55.03.
University of Texas talent Luke Hobson used a late surge to win the men’s 200m free in 1:45.18. AFP
