Kaylee McKeown edges Regan Smith in 100 backstroke at Paris ...

Swimmer Regan Smith of Lakeville won the silver medal in the 100-meter backstroke on Tuesday at the Paris Olympics, edged by her Australian rival Kaylee McKeown for gold.

The medal adds to the three medals Smith won at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago: silver in the 200 fly and the 400 medley relay and bronze in the 100 back.

McKeown, 23, who also won the event in Tokyo, swam an Olympic-record 57.33, with Smith, 22, at 57.66. Katharine Berkoff of the U.S. won bronze.

Both women came to the Olympics primed for a showdown. They owned the 15 fastest 100-meter women's backstroke times in history. Smith snatched back the 100-meter backstroke world record at the U.S. Olympic trials last month in Indianapolis with a 57.13, two-tenths of a second lower than McKeown's 57.33 set in 2023.

Smith had the faster times in preliminary heats, barely. She swam 58.45 in her first heat, ahead of McKeown's 58.48 backstroke. They had the two fastest times in the semifinals, with Smith coming out on top again with a time of 57.97 to KcKeown's 57.99.

On Tuesday, Smith led at the turn but couldn't hold off the hard-charging McKeown, who surged to the front about halfway through the return lap. When it was over, Smith reached over the lane rope to congratulate McKeown.

Smith's return to the Olympics caps a tumultuous time for the Minnesotan. Even before the Tokyo Olympics, she was struggling with her confidence in another of her signature events, the 200 backstroke. After Tokyo, she went to Stanford, but the team's training regimen turned out to be a poor fit. She left Stanford and moved to Arizona to train with Bob Bowman, the former coach of Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all time with 28 medals. Smith has since followed Bowman to Austin, Texas, where he is the director of swimming at the University of Texas.

While Smith vs. McKeown is part of an intense United States-Australia pool rivalry, the two swimmers never trash talk or disrespect each other.

"She's an exceptionally strong mental competitor. She just knows how to get it done, and I really respect that about her," Smith said of McKeown.

They are expected to face off again in the 200 backstroke, for which McKeown holds the world record and is the defending Olympic champion. The 200 backstroke final is Friday.

The Star Tribune did not send the writer of this article to the game. This was written using a broadcast, interviews and other material.

Rochelle Olson, Rachel Blount and the Associated Press contributed reporting.