Kate Douglass Sets New World Record at Pan Pacific Championships

On August 16, 2026, Kate Douglass reclaimed the 50m freestyle world record from her training partner Gretchen Walsh during the preliminary heats at the Pan Pacific Championships in Irvine, California. Later, Douglass broke the record again in the evening final.

Douglass, known for her Olympic gold in the 200m breaststroke, initially clocked a time of 23.49 seconds in the preliminaries, surpassing Walsh’s previous record of 23.55 seconds set on June 28. In the final, Douglass achieved an impressive 23.19 seconds, further breaking her own record by three-tenths of a second.

“I had to do a few double takes,” Douglass said. “The time seemed crazy fast to me.”

Previously, Douglass held the world record with a time of 23.59 seconds (set on June 19) before Walsh took it briefly. During Saturday night’s session, Douglass earned two gold medals and a silver — a noteworthy achievement in major international meets.

Timeline of Events:

• 7:42 local time: Wins 50m free with a world record time of 23.19 seconds.
• 8:08 local time: Finishes second in the 200m breaststroke.
• 9:25 local time: Anchors U.S. women’s 4x100m medley relay to victory.

“I was doubting myself, questioning my ability to do a triple tonight,” Douglass shared during the NBC Sports broadcast. “My coaches and teammates believed in me, giving me the energy to finish the relay.”

Reflecting on the night’s events, Douglass remarked, “It was one of the busiest nights of swimming I’ve had, and I don’t want to experience that level of activity again.”

The previous night, Douglass swam the second-fastest 100m freestyle in history with a time of 51.69 seconds, just .01 seconds shy of Marrit Steenbergen’s world record. She achieved this while leading off the U.S. 4x100m free relay.

Douglass is considered one of the most versatile swimmers in the world, being the second-fastest performer ever in the 200m breast.

Pan Pacific Championships highlights will air Sunday at 2 p.m. ET on NBC. Reporting assistance was provided by Ardynne Fleitz from NBC Sports.