By James Sutherland on SwimSwam
SwimSwam Pulse is a recurring feature tracking and analyzing the results of our periodic A3 Performance Polls. You can cast your vote in our newest poll on the SwimSwam homepage, about halfway down the page on the right side.
Our most recent poll asked SwimSwam readers if the 57 barrier in the women’s 100 back or the 1:04 threshold in the women’s 100 breast will go down in 2026:
Question: Which barrier gets broken this year?
RESULTS
57 in women’s 100 back – 59.0% Neither – 36.1% Both – 2.8% 1:04 in women’s 100 breast – 2.1%It’s been nearly seven years since Regan Smith became the first woman under the 58-second barrier in the 100 backstroke, and since that historic swim that came out of nowhere at the 2019 World Championships, the mark has been broken 68 more times.
Smith leads all women with 31 sub-58 career swims, including holding the world record at 57.13, while her Australian rival Kaylee McKeown has done it 28 times, including just a few days ago at the Australian Swimming Trials in 57.77.
Unlike the 100 free, where Sarah Sjostrom‘s 51.71 world record has been on the books for nine years and it doesn’t appear that anyone will go sub-51 anytime soon, and the 100 fly, where Gretchen Walsh is in a league of her own, there are multiple women within striking distance of taking down the next markers in the 100 back and 100 breast: 57 and 1:04.
In the 100 back, Smith and McKeown have both been 57.1 before, and given how they’ve continuously raised each others levels throughout their rivalry, it’s just a matter of time before 57 is cracked by one of them.
The 100 breast looks like more of a long shot. China’s Tang Qianting has posted the fastest time of the 2020s with her 1:04.39 clocking in 2024, and Ruta Meilutyte had multiple 1:04-mid swims in 2023. But in 2025, no one broke 1:05, and so far this season, we’ve seen Angharad Evans do it in 1:04.96, but there’s no one knocking on the door of the 1:04 barrier, barring Tang returning to top form.
In our most recent poll, we asked SwimSwam readers which barrier will go down this year, or if either will, and 59% think the 100 back mark will fall, while an additional 2.8% think both are going down.
The best chance for the 100 back record to fall might come at the Commonwealth Games, where McKeown will be racing the clock. At the Pan Pacific Championships, it will be a head-to-head battle with Smith, along with two of the other four sub-58 swimmers in history, Katharine Berkoff and Kylie Masse, which may make for slightly slower times (compared to McKeown having clear water at the Commonwealth Games).
Additionally, Pan Pacs will be raced at an outdoor pool, which can be hard for backstrokers to navigate and can make times somewhat dependent on conditions.
Joining the sub-58 club this year has been Smith and Berkoff’s American teammate Isabelle Stadden, who became the third-fastest performer of all-time in 57.55 last month. Stadden would be an unlikely candidate to become the first swimmer under 57 seconds, but given her rapid improvement in 2026 after moving from Cal to the University of Virginia, it should help raise the bar in the event as a whole.
Thirty-six percent of voters don’t believe either threshold will be broken this year, which has a strong argument due to how scattered the international calendar is this year and how the gap year between Olympics and World Championships is sometimes less about peak performance and more about putting in the training with 2028 in mind.
The 100 breast is also lacking a true superstar swimmer who is in pursuit of Lilly King‘s 1:04.13 world record which is now nearly nine years old.
Below, vote in our new A3 Performance Poll, which asks: Who owns the men’s 400 free world record once the dust has settled this summer?
Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.ABOUT A3 PERFORMANCE
A3 Performance is an independently-owned, performance swimwear company built on a passion for swimming, athletes, and athletic performance. We encourage swimmers to swim better and faster at all ages and levels, from beginners to Olympians. Driven by a genuine leader and devoted staff that are passionate about swimming and service, A3 Performance strives to inspire and enrich the sport of swimming with innovative and impactful products that motivate swimmers to be their very best – an A3 Performer.The A3 Performance Poll is courtesy of A3 Performance, a SwimSwam partner.
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