Is Commonwealth Games Door Now Open for Mollie O’Callaghan To Replace Kaylee McKeown in 100 Backstroke?
How do you fill the shoes of Kaylee McKeown? The loss of the world’s premier backstroker from this year’s Commonwealth Games and Pan Pacs with glandular fever leaves a huge hole in the Australian team.
Glasgow was to be the Commonwealth Games swansong for the four-time Olympic Champion who began her remarkable international career at the 2018 Games on the Gold Coast. Four years later, McKeown took the 100 and 200m backstroke double at the 2022 Games in Edinburgh.
More, her withdrawal from the Pan Pacs in Irvine robs the meet of the next McKeown v Regan Smith showdown – a duel that has captivated world swimming over the past six years.
McKeown went into this year’s Trials under an illness cloud but in typical Kaylee fashion, she pushed through to qualify for all three backstroke events. So, what is the is the impact for Australia for both Glasgow and Irvine?
Australia does have great depth in backstroke swimming with doors open now for the likes of Mollie O’Callaghan, Iona Anderson, Hannah Fredericks and Jenna Forrester.
The biggest question surrounds the multi-talented Olympic champion O’Callaghan – and whether she puts her hand up to fill the vacancy left by her best friend in the 100m backstroke – an event where Mollie holds the sixth fastest time in history.
Her 57.88 was swum at the 2024 Olympic Trials (but which saw her withdraw from the event to concentrate on the 100 and 200m freestyles), so a real gold medal is in the offing.
Australia already has qualifiers Anderson (Highlanders, WA; 58.60) and Fredericks (St Peters Western, QLD; 59.79). Anderson is the 2024 World Championships silver medalist, who took O’Callaghan’s place in the event at the Paris Olympics where she finished fifth in 58.43, the youngest swimmer in the field by three years.
McKeown’s withdrawal also leaves a vacancy in Australia’s 4x100m medley relay with Anderson very much in the box seat for a real gold medal chance. O’Callaghan already has a busy Games schedule for Glasgow, having qualified for both the 100 and 200m freestyle – and is a mainstay in all three relays – the 4×100 and 4x200m freestyles and 4x100m medley.
Adding the 100m backstroke on Day Two of Glasgow would see O’Callaghan cram a heat and semifinal into the same day as the heat and final of her pet event the 200m freestyle. And the 100m backstroke final would join her Day Three schedule, which already features the heat and semifinal of the 100m freestyle.
McKeown’s withdrawal should also see Fredericks (sixth in the Trials) join O’Callaghan and Anderson in the 50m backstroke and Forrester (fourth in the Trials) join Anderson and Fredericks in the 200m.
The ball now sits squarely in the O’Callaghan/Dean Boxall court.