Global Women's Backstroke Power Rankings: Berkoff and Smith Set the Standard as Short Course Season Looms

The long-course summer has officially concluded following the 2026 Pan Pacific Championships in Irvine, California, and the global women's backstroke landscape has a definitive center of gravity: the United States.[1][2]

As swimmers transition toward the short-course season—culminating in the World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m) in Beijing this December—the power rankings are dominated by an intense domestic rivalry that is pushing global standards lower.[4]

Sitting at the undisputed number one spot is Katharine Berkoff. At Pan Pacs, the American sprinter shattered her own national benchmark in the 50-meter backstroke, clocking a blistering 26.90 seconds to win gold and set a new Championship Record.[1]

Berkoff followed up her 50-meter triumph with a 57.93 in the 100-meter backstroke, setting another Championship Record. In doing so, she became the first American to beat Regan Smith in the event at a major international meet since the 2018 Pan Pacs.[1][5]

Regan Smith, the world record holder in the 100-meter backstroke at 57.13, holds the number two spot in the power rankings. While she took silver behind Berkoff in the sprints—touching at 27.14 in the 50-meter and 58.11 in the 100-meter—Smith remains untouchable in the 200-meter distance, cruising to gold in 2:05.57.[1][5]

The international challengers chasing the American duo are led by Australia's Iona Anderson and Canada's Taylor Ruck. Anderson secured bronze in the 50-meter backstroke in 27.60, keeping the Australian backstroke tradition alive despite the absence of Kaylee McKeown, who withdrew from the meet with glandular fever.[1]

Ruck took bronze in the 100-meter backstroke with a 58.40, showcasing her veteran experience. Canada's Ingrid Wilm rounds out the top five, proving her consistency with a 59.82 for fifth place in the 100-meter event and a 27.93 in the 50-meter sprint.[1]

The backstroke surge extends beyond the able-bodied ranks. At the Para Pan Pacific Championships in Walnut, California, late August, Team USA's Evan Wilkerson set a staggering S11 world record in the men's 100-meter backstroke, dropping a 1:02.62.[3]

"It gives me a ton of confidence as we move toward LA," Wilkerson said after his world-record swim. "After training at altitude for four months and being reclassified as an S11 about a month ago, I was able to come here, break the world record in prelims and then go even faster in finals."[3]

That same American momentum was visible on the men's side in Irvine, where Quintin McCarty set a Pan Pacs record of 24.51 in the 50-meter backstroke. "You don't think about the expectations, you just go out there and do the best you can," McCarty noted. "That is why we get in the water at 5 a.m."[2]

With the Beijing Short Course Worlds scheduled for December 1-6, the 25-meter format will test the underwater kicking prowess of these top seeds. The tighter walls heavily favor athletes like Berkoff, whose underwater dolphin kicks are considered among the best in the sport.[4]

The first heats in Beijing begin on December 1, where the 25-meter format will either validate the current American speed or expose vulnerabilities against a rested international field.