Australian swimmer Kaylee McKeown on Tuesday set a new Olympic record to win the gold medal in the women’s 100m backstroke event at the Tokyo Games. The 20-year-old beat arch-rival, American Regan Smith, as she completed her race in 57.47 sec, within two-hundredth of a second of her own world record. 

Canada’s Kylie Masse, the bronze medallist at the Rio Olympics, finished second in 57.72 secs with American Smith in third in 58.05 secs.

Olympic gold winner Kaylee McKeown drops F-bomb during TV interview. Watch

“My legs were definitely hurting in the last 20,” said an ecstatic McKeown said after her race.

“I’m sure it would have been pretty noticeable on the TV but I trained for that and I knew that I had a really strong back end and a really good chance to be on the podium.”

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Masse turned first at 50m with McKeown third, but the Australian powerfully brought it home.

McKeown had a tough lead-up to the Games, with her father dying last year from brain cancer.

But she used his memory as inspiration to swim a sensational race and smash Smith’s world record at the Australian trials last month.

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“It’s not necessarily what I’ve been through,” she said. “Everyone has a journey of their own and it just so happens that mine’s been a really tough one.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way because I don’t think I’d be where I am today without all that happening.”

She is also targeting the 200m backstroke gold, having recently set the fourth-quickest time in history.