Liebmann and Douglass set world records on same day
Germany's Johannes Liebmann and American Kate Douglass set swimming world records on Saturday, dazzling crowds at events in Paris and California.
German swimmer Johannes Liebmann and American athlete Kate Douglass set world records on the same day, impressing at events in Paris and California. Liebmann, 19, shattered the men's 1500m freestyle record by nearly four seconds, achieving a personal best of 14:26.79 seconds. This marked his first international gold medal at the European Aquatics Championships in Paris, surpassing the previous record of 14:30.08 set by American Bobby Finke at the 2024 Olympics.
Liebmann became the first swimmer to break the 14:30 barrier for this distance, reducing the record by more time than any swimmer since Australia's Grant Hackett in 2001. Hackett held the record for a decade, achieving 14:34.56. Meanwhile, Douglass broke the women's 50m freestyle record for the second time this summer, clocking 23.49 seconds during heats at the Pan Pacific Championships in California.
The 24-year-old Olympic champion reclaimed the title from Gretchen Walsh, who had lowered the mark to 23.55 seconds nine days earlier.
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