Kate Douglass blazes to 50 free world record in Pan Pacific prelims

Irving, California (AP) — At the Pan Pacific Championships' preliminary heats on Saturday, Kate Douglass established a new world record in the women's 50-meter freestyle. The 24-year-old New York City native from Pelham completed the swim in 23.49 seconds. This marked a reduction from Gretchen Walsh's time of 23.55, set during an international competition in Rome in June.

Douglass holds the distinction of being the second individual to break the world record in this sprint event. She previously lowered the record on June 19 at the TYR Pro Swim Series meet in Indianapolis, clocking in at 23.59. However, Walsh managed to surpass Douglass's record just nine days later. Douglass, a five-time Olympic medalist, had not participated in the 50 free event at the 2024 Paris Games.

Walsh, who swam immediately after Douglass in the heat, recorded a time of 23.78, securing them as the top two qualifiers for the evening final on the last day of competition in Irvine. This marked the first individual world record set during this meet, which featured swimmers from the U.S., Australia, Canada, Japan, and China.