McKeown shatters 50m backstroke world record at Swimming World Cup in Budapest

BUDAPEST: The 2023 World Aquatics Swimming World Cup in Budapest kicked off on Friday with a resounding splash as Kaylee McKeown broke the world record in the women's 50m backstroke.

The 22-year-old Australian sensation's time of 26.86 seconds not only secured her first place but also her lead in the women's rankings of the tournament. It also made McKeown the new record holder in all women's backstroke events, including the 50m, 100m, and 200m distances.

The women's 200m butterfly event saw China's Zhang Yufei secure first place in two minutes and 05.65 seconds, a new World Cup record.

Zhang's compatriot Qin Haiyang proved his dominance in the men's 100m breaststroke in a winning time of 57.82 seconds, with the victory also solidifying his lead in the men's rankings.

In a nail-biting men's 200m backstroke final, Roman Mityukov of Switzerland narrowly won in 1:56.96, edging out Italy's Thomas Ceccon by just one-hundredth of a second.

Other opening day winners in the women's events included Tes Schouten from the Netherlands, who set a new World Cup record in the 200m breaststroke with 2:21.52. Sweden's Sarah Sjoestroem clinched the top spot of the 50m freestyle in 23.97 seconds.

On the men's side, Noe Ponti of Switzerland emerged as the champion in the 100m butterfly with 51.38 seconds, while Britain's Benjamin Proud took first place in the 50m freestyle with a time of 21.77 seconds.

The relay events added an extra layer of excitement to the competition. Australia secured first place in the men's 4x100 freestyle relay in 3:14.54, followed by Italy and host Hungary.

The Swimming World Cup features three legs, with all taking place in October. Following the competitions in Berlin and Athens, the Budapest leg runs through Sunday.