Teenager breaks Kaylee McKeown's backstroke world record

BREAKING: Italian teenager Sara Curtis breaks the women's 50m backstroke world record, clocking 26.63 seconds to topple the mark held by Australian great Kaylee McKeown.

26.63 seconds. A nineteen year old just rewrote the backstroke record books.

Sara Curtis of Italy took down the women's 50 metre backstroke world record tonight in the semifinals of the European championships, swimming in the Paris Olympic pool. Look at that reaction, pure disbelief. She sliced nearly a quarter of a second off the old mark, which is an eternity in a one lap sprint.

The record she broke belonged to Kaylee McKeown, the Australian five time Olympic champion, who set 26.86 back in 2023. McKeown's having a rough stretch, she's recovering from glandular fever and missed the Commonwealth Games. Two years ago she held all three backstroke world records at once. Tonight she's down to just the 200.

Curtis said she knew she was capable but didn't expect it here, in this moment. Then she called herself superwoman. When you swim 26.63, you've earned it.

This is Dave King, reporting for HIT.

Source Read the original reporting at abc.net.au