‘Extremely Painful’: Kate Douglass Reveals Unheard Side of World Aquatics Doha Championship Performance

The 2020 Olympic bronze medalist, Kate Douglass once again proved her prominence in swimming as she dominated the Doha Championships earlier this month. The 22-year-old secured a total of 5 medals in the event, further breaking a record and defending a title in the process. The path to claiming all of it however wasn’t as glorious as the celebrations that followed.

On the 6th day of the swimming calendar at Doha 2024, Kate Douglass performed to get her hands on 1 of her 5 medals in the championships. Two events, complete opposites in technique awaited the Olympian that day. Douglass, who managed to adapt well and beyond for the two finishes, reveals her mindset in juggling through.

Kate Douglass offers a peek into her competition day

Kate Douglass recently appeared for an interview with SwimSwam to discuss exclusively her time at the Doha Championships. In one of these segments, Douglass touched upon handling the fast-paced 100m and the slowest of the categories, the 200m Breaststroke. Revealing that she was dreading the situation, Douglass adds, “I was like, I know I have to be tough and push through it. Just be happy with whatever the outcome is.” 

Further talking about managing the two, the Olympian admits to primarily focusing on 100 freestyle because of its initial presence and its demanding stamina. “It was extremely painful,” the 22-year-old recalls, finishing 4th. Moreover, Kate Douglass reveals that she wasn’t exactly in a great state going into the Doha Championships.

“We didn’t like taper at all. But we kinda just did like a make-shift rest. We pretty much kept our schedule the same until we left for the meet. So yeah… I wasn’t feeling great,” she adds. Though the circumstances inclusive of grueling travels infused a ‘not-so-great’ state in the 22-year-old, she managed to not let the factor hinder her awaiting results.

The icon blazes through nonetheless

One of the first medals Kate Douglass secured at the meet was a run majority awaited: the 200m Individual Medley. Having won the event last year, Douglass was on the line to defend her title in Doha. And on the 12th of Feb, she ensured to live up when she recorded a personal best of 2:07.05 to retain her title. Following that, the 22-year-old won her second gold in the 4x100m mixed medley, and then a bronze in the 4x100m mixed freestyle.

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In the 200m breaststroke double that followed, Kate Douglass fell short of Tes Schouten’s total to settle for a silver. The Olympian put up 2:20.91 to clinch the 4th of her 5 medal tally. To finally end the Championships on a triumphant note, Kate broke the American record in the 50m freestyle as she clocked 23.91 seconds. In doing so, the young talent became the fastest U.S. female swimmer.

Read More: Kate Douglass: Re-Live the Best 200 IM Swims Over the Years