Over the course of the 3-weekend World Cup Circuit, Kaylee McKeown won 7-of-9 backstroke races, notably breaking the world record in the 200 back twice. The 5x Olympic champion noted that she made herself quite uncomfortable during those races, going out quickly and causing a lot of pain for herself on the back end of the swims. However, McKeown said that for her to get the best out of herself, she needs to be nervous, which being aggressive upfront during those races did.