Olympics-Swimming-Australia's backstroke queen McKeown extends 100m reign

By Ian Ransom

PARIS (Reuters) -Kaylee McKeown crushed would-be challenger Regan Smith in a triumphant defence of her 100 metres backstroke title at the Paris Games on Tuesday to join a parade of Australian icons with three individual Olympic gold medals.

McKeown touched the wall in an Olympic record time of 57.33 seconds, humbling Smith by 0.33 seconds as another American, Katharine Berkoff, took bronze at La Defense Arena.

The 23-year-old McKeown became Australia's first woman to win Olympic backstroke gold at Tokyo and three years later she is the first to go back-to-back.

McKeown said watching teammates Ariarne Titmus and Mollie O'Callaghan take golds had proved a huge boost before her showdown with Smith.

"The Aussies have had a great meet so far, following Arnie (Titmus) and Mollie, it's definitely emotional to see my teammates and someone that I get on with so well get up and swim for Australia and stand on the podium for gold," she told reporters.

"Having that behind me, it's been an awesome few days watching all the Aussies get up and race, so I just had to put my best foot forward tonight."

McKeown now boasts four Olympic gold medals and may add another when she defends her 200m backstroke gold in Paris.

She also has a chance in the 200m individual medley in which she will go head-to-head with Canada's 17-year-old sensation Summer McIntosh.

Now level with Titmus, Ian Thorpe and Dawn Fraser, McKeown could become Australia's first Olympian with four individual gold medals if she wins either race.

Unbeaten by Smith at major events in recent years, McKeown again showed herself the ultimate big stage performer, trusting in her closing speed to reel in any rival.

So it proved again.

She trailed Canada's Kylie Masse, Smith and Berkoff at the 50-metre mark but found another gear as the leaders faltered to hand the Australian team their fourth gold of the meet.

Smith came into the Olympics in red-hot form, rejuvenated under coach Bob Bowman and having snatched McKeown's world record at Olympic trials last month.

McKeown and her coach Michael Bohl shrugged off the result, reasoning that experience and racing instincts would carry the day.

"One of my favourite sayings is world records are meant to be broken and that's exactly what I was expecting of (Smith)," said McKeown.

"It's been an extra motivation coming into these Olympics, but it's never been something that I've put all my focus into.

"At the end of the day, it's just about who's good on the day."

If Smith was disappointed after being hyped up for the title, she hid it well. She insisted she had "left it all in the pool".

"Kaylee is an absolutely incredible racer and she knows what to do when it matters," she said.

(Reporting by Ian Ransom; Editing by Hugh Lawson)