World Champs Profile: Kylie Masse Still a Threat in Backstroke Events
Leading into the start of the World Championships this weekend, Swimming World will publish a handful of short profiles on top contenders for the podium in Singapore. Our next entry in this series features Canada’s Kylie Masse, a longtime star and former world-record holder in the backstroke events.
Kylie Masse
Canada
Events: 50 Backstroke/100 Backstroke
The Road to Singapore
Although she has twice medaled in the 200 backstroke at the Olympic Games, Masse has opted to bypass the event this summer and place her emphasis on the shorter backstroke events. The decision could be a wise one, given the incredible depth in the 50 backstroke and 100 backstroke in international waters.
Heading to the World Championships, Masse is ranked third in the world in the 50 backstroke. She produced a time of 27.13 earlier this year at the TYR Pro Series stop in Fort Lauderdale. In the 100 backstroke, Masse is ranked fourth, thanks to a swim of 58.18 at the Canadian Trials last month.
Top Career Achievement
After going 58.10 at the 2017 World Championships in Budapest, Masse held the world record in the 100 backstroke for a little more than a year. She is a five-time Olympic medalist, including four individual medals – two silver and two bronze – between the 2016 (Rio de Janeiro), 2020 (Tokyo) and 2024 (Paris) Games.
Previous World Champs Hardware
Masse has collected nine medals from the long course World Championships during her career, including five individual medals. She won back-to-back titles in the 100 backstroke in 2017 and 2019 and added a gold medal in the 50 backstroke in 2022. Masse is also an 11-time medalist at the World Short Course Championships.
Stat Fact
Masse owns a best time of 57.70 in the 100 backstroke, which makes her the No. 3 performer in history. She is one of just five women to break the 58-second barrier in the event, joining Regan Smith, Kaylee McKeown, Katharine Berkoff and Mollie O’Callaghan. Only O’Callaghan will not race the 100 back in Singapore, as she has opted to focus on the 100 freestyle and 200 freestyle.
World Champs Profiles
