2024 WORLD AQUATICS SWIMMING WORLD CUP – INCHEON
A day after breaking the World Report within the ladies’s 100 meter backstroker, Regan Smith got here up simply shy of the identical within the 200 meter distance – however she did take down the American Report within the occasion.
Smith swam 1:59.60 to win the race over two seconds by Belarusian Anastasiya Shkurdai. That makes Smith the primary American girl beneath two minutes within the race and breaks the document beforehand held by the legendary Missy Franklin. Franklin swam 2:00.03 on the 2011 World Cup in Berlin, Germany, a notably quick pool on this tour traditionally.
On the time, that swim by Franklin was a World Report, which stood for over two years earlier than it was ultimately damaged by Katinka Hosszu. The present World Report of 1:58.94 belongs to Smith’s rival Kaylee McKeown from 2020. McKeown began racing this sequence on the primary day in Shanghai, however pulled out citing the necessity to deal with her psychological well being.
Splits Comparability
| Missy Franklin | Regan Smith | Regan Smith | |
| Outdated American Report | New American Report | Outdated PB | |
| 50m | 28.64 | 28.41 | 28.44 |
| 100m | 30.22 | 30.61 | 30.63 |
| 150m | 30.75 | 30.48 | 30.82 |
| 200m | 30.42 | 30.20 | 30.53 |
| 2:00.03 | 1:59.60 | 2:00.42 |
Smith’s earlier greatest of two:00.42 was completed on the World Cup in Shanghai final week. Whereas she opened up with nearly-identical splits on Saturday in her record-setting efficiency, she truly accelerated within the back-half, negative-splitting her final three 50s to place eight-tenths between her and the document.
Smith led a lot of the race, save for the primary 65 meters or so the place her American teammate Beata Nelson was forward earlier than fading to 4th within the closing tally.
With that swim, Smith now has the Ninth-best efficiency and is the Sixth-best performer within the historical past of the occasion. The World Cup Report holder Daryna Zevina (1:59.35) can also be forward of her.
High 10 Girls All-Time, SCM 200 Backstroke
- Kaylee McKeown, Australia – 1:58.94 (2020)
- Katinka Hosszu, Hungary – 1:59.23 (2014)
- Minna Atherton, Australia – 1:59.25 (2019)
- Daryna Zevina, Ukraine – 1:59.35 (2016)
- Emily Seebohm, Australia – 1:59.49 (2015)
- Regan Smith, USA – 1:59.60 (2024)
- Missy Franklin, USA – 2:00.03 (2011)
- Shiho Sakai, Japan – 2:00.18 (2010)
- Beata Nelson, USA – 2:00.27 (2020)
- Claire Curzan, USA – 2:00.53 (2022)
Smith’s earlier private greatest ranked her Ninth all-time. McKeown holds three of the seven instances which can be quicker than Smith.
Wanting extra wholistically, that swim by Smith gave her just-enough factors to nudge forward of her U.S. teammate Kate Douglass for the meet-win in Incheon and the general sequence lead heading into the ultimate cease in Singapore. The winner of every cease receives $12,000 whereas the runner-up receives $10,000. The hole for the general sequence winner swings from $100,000 for 1st to $70,000 for 2nd.
Douglass beforehand gained the highest sequence honor in Shanghai final week.
