Kate Douglass broke the world record in the 50m freestyle at a Tyr Pro Series meet in Indianapolis, becoming the first American woman to hold the record in the fastest event in swimming in 40 years.
Douglass, the 2024 Olympic gold medalist in the 200m breaststroke, clocked 23.59 seconds.
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She broke the record of 23.61 set by Swede Sarah Sjöström at the 2023 World Championships.
“I was really just hoping to go a best time, break the American record,” Douglass said on Peacock. “That’s a lot faster than I ever thought I would go tonight, or ever.”
Douglass’ previous personal best was 23.91, which gave her a share of the American record with training partner Gretchen Walsh.
Walsh was second in Friday’s race in 23.78, also going under the previous American record to become the joint-fifth-fastest woman in history globally.
The last American woman to hold the world record in the “splash-and-dash” 50m free was Dara Torres, who held it from 1983-86.
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Sjöström, the 2024 Olympic gold medalist in the 50m free, first set the world record in 2017 and held it for nearly nine years.
Douglass is also the second-fastest swimmer in history in the 200m breast with a best time of 2:18.50, trailing only Yevgeniya Chikunova of Russia’s world record of 2:17.55.
Douglass is also the American record holder in the 100m free, 200m breast and 200m individual medley in short-course swimming (25-meter pools), a testament to her unique versatility.
Kate Douglass took different strokes to swimming success
Kate Douglass, a Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist, is now the world’s most versatile swimmer.
