American Kate Douglass sets 50-meter freestyle world record at Pan Pacific
Kate Douglass, 24, is a five-time Olympic medalist.
On Saturday, American swimmer Kate Douglass made history by setting a new world record in the women's 50-meter freestyle during the preliminary heats of the Pan Pacific Championships. The 24-year-old from the New York City suburb of Pelham completed the race in an impressive 23.49 seconds, surpassing her own previous record of 23.55 set at an international meet in Rome in June.
This is Douglass' second time breaking the world record in this sprint event; she initially lowered it on June 19 at the TYR Pro Swim Series meet in Indianapolis, with a time of 23.59. However, just nine days later, her teammate Gretchen Walsh managed to beat her time. Douglass, a five-time Olympic medalist, earned a silver medal in the 50 free at the 2024 World Championships but was unable to compete in that same event at the 2024 Paris Games.
Meanwhile, Walsh swam after Douglass and clocked in at 23.78 seconds, securing them the top two spots for the evening final on the last day of competition in Irvine. This event marked the first time an individual world record was set during the Pan Pacific Championships, which included participants from the U.S., Australia, Canada, Japan, and China.
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