Swimming, World Championships Doha 2024: Claire Curzan bags historic backstroke treble with women's 200m win 

The breakout star of the Doha 2024 World Championships added the 200m backstroke win to the gold medals she won over the 50m and 100m distances. Jaclyn Barkley and Anastasiya Shkurdai finished second and third on Saturday (17 February).

2 minBy Ockert de Villiers
Claire Curzan

(2024 Getty Images)

American swimming sensation Claire Curzan became only the second woman ever to complete the backstroke treble at the world championships with her victory in the 200m event at Doha 2024 on Saturday (17 February).

Hitting the wall in first place in a time of 2:05.77, Curzan bagged her third backstroke gold of the global gala, adding to the titles she won over the 50m and 100m distances. In doing so, the 19-year-old Curzan repeated Australian double Olympic champion Kaylee McKeown’s performance at last year’s World Championships in Fukuoka.

Curzan also won a fourth individual medal - 100 butterfly silver - at the event in the capital of Qatar.

The U.S. swim star has thrown down the gauntlet ahead of the Team USA trials for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, where the backstroke races will be among the most competitive, with compatriot Regan Smith one of those tipped to qualify and compete the top of the podium at the Games.

Curzan completes backstroke dominance

The American got off to a flying start, opening an early advantage, with Australia’s Jaclyn Barkley following closely in her wake. Curzan continued to open the gap, and by the final turn, she had opened a sizeable lead over Barkley.

Curzan out-touched second placed Barkley by 1.26s, with NIA swimmer Anastasiya Shkurdai rounding out the podium in third place with 2:09.08.

“I am just happy with how I was able to swim and I am really excited about what this means for the future,” Curzan told World Aquatics after the race.

“That was definitely the strategy (taking the race out hard). At some point, it just gets to math where you have to go out fast to go fast. You just have to be brave over that first 100m and hold on.”

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