Kate Douglass delivered a record-breaking swim Saturday, setting a new world mark in the women’s 50-meter freestyle during the preliminary heats at the Pan Pacific Championships.
The 24-year-old American, who grew up in the New York City suburb of Pelham, powered to the wall in 23.49 seconds at the outdoor pool in Irvine, California.
Her time shaved six-hundredths of a second off the previous world record of 23.55, established by U.S. teammate Gretchen Walsh at an international competition in Rome in June.
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The performance marked the second time Douglass has claimed the world record in the sprint event. She first broke the mark on June 19 at the TYR Pro Swim Series in Indianapolis with a 23.59, only for Walsh to surpass it nine days later.
Douglass, a five-time Olympic medalist, won silver in the 50 free at the 2024 World Championships. She did not race the event at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Walsh followed Douglass in the next heat and posted a 23.78, securing the No. 2 qualifying spot behind her teammate for the evening final on the last day of competition in Irvine.
Douglass’ swim was the first individual world record of the meet, which featured top swimmers from the United States, Australia, Canada, Japan, China and other nations.
