Australian SC Championships: Backstroking Golden Girl Kaylee McKeown Returns To Racing In Adelaide En-Route To Budapest

Backstroking golden girl Kaylee McKeown will headline 13 members of Australia’s Paris Olympic team when they return to racing at this month’s Australian Short Course Championships  in Adelaide as she sets herself for defence of her World SC titles in Budapest.

Fresh from her Paris triumphs where McKeown (Griffith University, QLD) defended her 100 and 200m backstroke crowns, the 23-year-old will be joined by fellow Australian medallists, club mates Lani Pallister and Moesha Johnson as well asAlexandria Perkins (USC Spartans, QLD), Olivia Wunsch (Carlile, NSW), Iona Anderson (Breakers, WA), Max Giuliani (Miami, QLD), Josh Yong (UWA West Coast, WA) and Matt Temple (Marion, SA).

Along with Paris teammates, World LC silver medallistLizzie Dekkers (Chandler, QLD), bronze medallist Jenna Forrester (St Peters Western, QLD), Tokyo relay bronze medallist and World LC champion Isaac Cooper (St Andrews, QLD and Se-Bom Lee (SOPAC, NSW).

McKeown will contest the 50, 100 and 200m backstrokes and the 100IM when the four-day World SC Trials meet, marketed as the “Swimming Australia Sprints” gets underway on September 26 at the South Australia Aquatic and Leisure Centre.

One of the real stars of the Paris Games, McKeown has returned to training at the Gold Coast Aquatic Centre under the direction of Griffith University HP program assistant coach Janelle Pallister – with head coach Michael Bohl stepping way from mainstream coaching for the next 12 months and pending the January arrival of British Olympic coach Mel Marshall.

McKeown was recently named the Olympic Program Swimmer of the Year at the Australian Swimmer of the Year Awards after an historic Olympic campaign culminating as Australia’s Closing Ceremony flagbearer, who became the first Australian to win four individual Olympic gold medals at her second Olympics –with the successful defence of her backstroke double.

And in doing so, surpassed the likes of swimming greats Ian Thorpe, Dawn Fraser and teammate Emma McKeon.

BACK IN THE HOUSE: World SC star Lani Pallister was the stand-out in Melbourne in 2022. Photo Courtesy: Giorgio Scala / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto

McKeown also became the first female swimmer to successfully defend the 100m and 200m backstroke titles in Olympic history, completing her Paris campaign with a total of five medals -two gold (100m and 200m backstroke), one silver (4x100m women’s medley relay) and two bronze (4x100m mixed medley relay and the 200 IM).

She now has a total of nine Olympic medals – five gold, one silver and three bronze medals.

The 23-year-old had put the world on notice in October last year when she broke the women’s 50m backstroke world record in Budapest with a time of 26.86 seconds, cementing McKeown as the first person to hold all three long course backstroke world records over 50m, 100m, and 200m.

McKeown and Pallister’s Olympic gold medal-winning daughter,Lani Pallister (4x200m freestyle) will now both set their sights on defending their World SC titles in Budapest from December 10-15 – with McKeown already securing automatic selection under the Swimming Australia criteria as an individual medallist in Paris.

The pair dominated the 2022 World SC Championships in Melbourne with McKeown winning the 100 and 200m backstroke double while Pallister was named the Female Swimmer of the Meet after taking out the 400,800 and 1500m freestyle treble.

Pallister fought back from COVID during the Paris campaign to win gold in Australia’s all-conquering 4x200m freestyle team at the Games, alongside Ariarne Titmus, Mollie O’Callaghan and Brianna Throssell.

STAR ON THE RISE: Australia’s World LC silver medallist Iona Anderson; Photo Courtesy: Andrea Masini / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto

She will contest the 100, 200, 400 and 800m freestyle in Adelaide and will be joined by Paris 10km Marathon silver medallist Johnson in the 200, 400 and 800m freestyle with Johnson also contesting the 1500m freestyle.

Paris young guns Anderson, Wunsch and Perkins will all have busy programs – World LC silver medallist and World Junior champion Anderson (a silver and bronze relay swimmer in Paris) lining up in 50, 100 and 200m backstroke, the 50m and 100m butterfly, 50m freestyle and 100IM.

While Wunsch, a member of Australia’s dominant gold medal-winning 4x100m freestyle relay team and silver medal winning medley relay swimmer Perkins will both contest the 50 and 100m freestyle and butterfly doubles.

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