Kate Douglass shatters women's 50m freestyle world record twice in one day at Pan Pacific Championships

Record reclaimed twice in one day

Kate Douglass reclaimed the women's 50 metres freestyle world record on Saturday, August 15, at the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Irvine, California, then lowered it again hours later in the final. The 24-year-old American clocked 23.49 seconds in the morning preliminaries to overtake the mark of 23.55 set by her training partner Gretchen Walsh on June 28 at the Sette Colli Trophy in Rome. In the evening final, Douglass sliced another three-tenths off her own freshly set record, touching the wall in 23.19 seconds to win gold. Walsh took silver in 23.74, while Australia's reigning world champion Meg Harris finished third in 23.89.

The record has changed hands three times since June 19, when Douglass first set it at 23.59. Walsh surpassed that on June 28 in Rome, breaking the mark Douglass had established just nine days earlier. Douglass's preliminary swim of 23.49 reclaimed it, and her final performance of 23.19 extended the margin further.

Douglass's versatility on display

Beyond the 50m freestyle, Douglass delivered world-class performances across multiple events at the four-day meet. Less than 12 hours before her morning record, she swam the lead-off leg of the United States' victorious 4x100m freestyle relay, recording 51.69 seconds, the second-fastest 100m freestyle in history and just one-hundredth off the world record set by Marrit Steenbergen of the Netherlands in June. She also helped break the world record in the mixed 4x100m medley relay on the opening night, alongside Walsh, Van Mathias, and Will Modglin.

Douglass returned to the pool less than half an hour after her 50m free victory to contest the 200m breaststroke final, where she won silver in 2:22.57 behind Canadian Alexanne LePage, who won in 2:21.73. Douglass is the reigning world and Olympic champion in that event. She has three medals at Pan Pacs so far: gold in the mixed medley relay and 4x100m freestyle relay, and silver in the 50m butterfly. She also swam the 100m breaststroke, finishing fourth.

Douglass told Swimming World magazine she was not expecting her morning performance.

I definitely wasn't expecting that. I still think there are things I could clean up.

She said missing the 100m freestyle world record by a hundredth of a second the night before had motivated her.

I think barely missing a world record last night kind of fueled me a little bit, and I know I wanted to go in and break the world record today, and I did it this morning. I am more rested than when I broke the world record the first time, and I have been amped up.

Other highlights from the meet

Chinese Olympian Yu Yiting upset world record-holder Summer McIntosh in the 200m individual medley, winning in 2:07.45. McIntosh, the reigning world and Olympic champion, settled for silver in 2:07.47, with American Alex Walsh third in 2:07.66. It was another setback for McIntosh in a meet she opened with a runner-up finish to Australia's Lani Pallister in the 200m freestyle, then won the 400m medley before misjudging her preliminary swim in the 400m free and missing the championship final.

Australia's Jamie Jack won the men's 50m freestyle in 21.35 seconds. Compatriot Zac Stubblety-Cook rallied from fourth at the final turn to win the men's 200m breaststroke in 2:08.09. Japan's Tomoyuki Matsushita completed a men's medley double with a 200m victory in 1:56.02.

The championships, which bring together top swimmers from non-European countries, are viewed as an early benchmark ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Douglass is a five-time Olympic medalist over the past two Games, including an individual gold in the 200m breaststroke.