Swimmer Kate Douglass sets 50-meter freestyle world record

Kate Douglass, a 24-year-old swimmer from New York, set a new world record in the women's 50-meter freestyle during the preliminary heats of the Pan Pacific Championships in Irvine, California. Clocking in at 23.49 seconds, Douglass surpassed the previous record of 23.55 seconds, which was set by her teammate Gretchen Walsh at an international meet in Rome this past June. This marks the second time this year that Douglass has lowered the world record in this sprint event, having previously clocked 23.59 seconds at the TYR Pro Swim Series in Indianapolis in June, a record that was subsequently broken by Walsh nine days later. Douglass, a five-time Olympic medalist, earned silver in the 50-meter freestyle at the 2024 World Championships but did not compete in the event at the 2024 Paris Games. In the Irvine heats, Walsh followed Douglass with a time of 23.78 seconds, making them the top two qualifiers for the evening final. This is the first individual world record set at the meet, which features competitors from the United States, Australia, Canada, Japan, and China.