Teen Sensation Sara Curtis Shatters Backstroke World Record

Italian teenager Sara Curtis broke the women's 50m backstroke world record, previously held by Kaylee McKeown, at the European aquatics championships in Paris with a time of 26.63 seconds. The 19-year-old swimmer, who attends the University of Virginia, achieved this milestone in the semi-finals, putting her on the global map.

Sara Curtis, an Italian teenage swimming prodigy, made waves on Wednesday by breaking the women's 50m backstroke world record at the European aquatics championships in Paris.

Curtis clocked an impressive 26.63 seconds, surpassing the previous record of 26.86 seconds set by Australia's Kaylee McKeown. McKeown had achieved the record at a World Cup event in Budapest last year.

The 19-year-old Curtis, a University of Virginia student, had already signaled her potential by clinching bronze in the 100m freestyle earlier in the tournament. The young athlete's record-setting performance has firmly established her as one of the sport's rising stars.