Kate Douglass set a world record in the women’s 50-meter freestyle in the preliminary heats of the Pan Pacific Championships on Saturday
The 24-year-old from the New York City suburb of Pelham touched in 23.49 seconds in her heat at the outdoor pool in Irvine, California
Douglass lowered the mark of 23.55 set by teammate Gretchen Walsh at an international meet in Rome in June
It’s the second time Douglass has lowered the world mark in the sprint race. She first did it on June 19 at the TYR Pro Swim Series meet in Indianapolis, posting a time of 23.59. Nine days later, Walsh lowered it again
Douglass is a five-time Olympic medalist. She earned silver in the 50 free at the 2024 World Championships but didn’t compete in the event at the 2024 Paris Games
Walsh swam in the heat after Douglass and was timed in 23.78, making them the top two qualifiers for the evening final on the final day of competition in Irvine
It was the first individual world record set at the meet that included swimmers from the U.S., Australia, Canada, Japan and China, among others
