Tuesday, 21 January 2020:
 | | KAYLEE MCKEOWN gives a smile after winning the final of the Women's 200m Backstroke event during the 2018 Australia Swimming National Trials at the Optus Aquatic Centre in Gold Coast, Australia. | |
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The stage has been set for a titanic Tokyo battle in the Olympic pool after Australia's Kaylee McKeown threw down the gauntlet to American Regan Smith with a stunning backstroke double.
McKeown snatched the 200m backstroke world No.1 ranking with a blistering effort at the South Australian state championships that will no doubt make world record holder Smith look over her shoulder ahead of the 2020 Games.
Queenslander McKeown, 18, clocked a personal best two minutes, 05.83 seconds in Adelaide - the seventh-fastest 200m backstroke time in history and second overall on Australia's all-time list.
It came just hours after 17-year-old Smith set the 2020 pace with her 2:05.94 effort at the Pro Series meet in Knoxville, Tennessee - the fastest 200m by an American outside a national titles or major international meet.
McKeown appeared to have some catching up to do before Tokyo after being a distant second in the 2019 world titles 200m backstroke medal race behind Smith, who set a remarkable 2:03.35 world record in the semi-finals before claiming gold.
However, McKeown seems to have the American in her sights at the Olympics - and not just in the 200m backstroke.
McKeown also clocked a blistering personal best time of 58.52 seconds in the 100m backstroke final in Adelaide just hours after Smith's 58.26 winning effort in Knoxville.
It was the fastest 100m backstroke time ever in Australia, taking 0.10 off Emily Seebohm's 2017 All-Comers time.
McKeown's effort would have won 100m gold at the 2019 world titles at South Korea.
She was fifth in the 2019 world titles 100m final in 59.10.
Smith did not contest the 2019 100m final in Gwangju but broke the world record with an astonishing 57.57 in the medley relay final.
If Smith wasn't aware of the McKeown threat before the Adelaide meet, the Australian's coach Chris Mooney hinted the American would be now.
"Kaylee is in solid training and she has dialled in on what we need to do and has not missed a trick," he told Swimming World Magazine website.
"A time like that in season gives us both a lot of confidence that we are on track in the Olympic year."
