200 metres Backstroke, Women

The defending gold medalist was Kaylee McKeown of Australia. She had also won the backstroke trifecta at the 2023 World Championships and, two days before this final, she had repeated as gold medalist in the 100 backstroke. She was also the world record holder, set at the 2023 New South Wales Championships.

Her biggest challengers were expected to be Regan Smith (USA), the 2019 World Champion in this event, setting a world record that McKeown later broke, and Canada’s Kylie Masse, who had five medals in backstroke events at the World Championships, with three golds, although all in shorter distances.

McKeown qualified second in the semi-finals, behind surprising American Phoebe Bacon, but Masse and Smith gave a scare to their teams, finishing fifth and sixth, respectively, although they made the final.

Masse went out fastest on the first lap, but Smith then took over through the next two turns and had a slight advantage over McKeown at 150 metres. McKeown, however, would not be challenged on the final lap, pulling away to win her fifth Olympic gold medal, with Smith taking silver, and Masse the bronze. Bacon was just off the podium, only 4/100ths behind Masse.

McKeown became the third swimmer to win multiple titles in the women’s 200 backstroke, after Hungary’s Krisztina Egerszegi in 1988-96, and Zimbabwe’s Kirsty Coventry in 2004-08. However, only McKeown had achieved the double-double, winning both backstrokes at consecutive Olympics, although among the men this had been done by East German Roland Matthes in 1968-72.