Kate Douglass lowers women’s 50m freestyle world record twice in one day
American swimmer Kate Douglass set world records of 23.49 and then 23.19 seconds in the women’s 50-metre freestyle at the Pan Pacific Championships on August 15.
In short
- American swimmer Kate Douglass set world records of 23.49 and then 23.19 seconds in the women’s 50-metre freestyle at the Pan Pacific Championships on August 15.
American swimmer Kate Douglass broke the women’s 50-metre freestyle world record twice on Saturday, August 15, finishing the day with a winning time of 23.19 seconds at the Pan Pacific Championships in Irvine, California.
Douglass first clocked 23.49 seconds in the preliminary heats, surpassing the 23.55 mark set by her United States teammate Gretchen Walsh in Rome in June. She then cut another three-tenths of a second from the record in the final.
Walsh finished second in 23.74 seconds, while Australia’s reigning world champion Meg Harris took third in 23.89.
The result was the third time the 24-year-old Douglass had set the world mark in the event. She recorded 23.59 seconds at a meet in Indianapolis on June 19 before Walsh claimed the record nine days later.
Douglass returned to the pool 25 minutes after the 50m final and placed second in the 200m breaststroke. Canada’s Alexanne Lepage won that race in 2 minutes 21.73 seconds, ahead of Douglass in 2:22.57.
A five-time Olympic medallist, Douglass won silver in the 50m freestyle at the 2024 world championships but did not contest the event at the Paris Olympics.
