U.S.’ Smith sets world record in 100m backstroke

INDIANAPOLIS — No one was beating Regan Smith in her signature event.

Bouncing back from a close-but-no-Olympics call in her first race, Smith set a world record in the women’s 100-meter backstroke at the U.S. swimming trials Tuesday night.

Smith touched in 57.13 seconds, easily beating the mark of 57.33 set a year ago by Australia’s Kaylee McKeown.

“That was part of the plan,” said Smith, who is heading to the Olympics for the second time. “I’m so happy.”

Smith bounced back emphatically after getting edged for a spot on the U.S. team in the 100 butterfly, where she finished third behind Gretchen Walsh and Torri Huske.

Flipping to her back, Smith set the second world record of the trials, following Walsh’s mark in the semifinals of the 100 fly.

Smith won a bronze medal in the 100 backstroke at the Tokyo Olympics. She’s now established herself as the favorite for gold in Paris.

Katharine Berkoff claimed the second expected Olympic spot for the U.S. with a time of 57.91.

In the night’s other final, Bobby Finke earned the right to defend the 800 freestyle gold he won in Tokyo with a time of 7 minutes, 44.22 seconds.

Finke had to work hard to get to the wall ahead of 18-year-old Indiana phenom Luke Whitlock, who set a national age-group record at 7:45.19 and will likely head to his first Olympics with the second U.S. spot.

No one else was within 4 seconds of the top two.

Whitlock splashed the water emphatically after going virtually stroke-for-stroke with the reigning Olympic champion.