World records are meant to be broken, and Kate Douglass has just proven that once again. Swimming like a flash through the chlorine-soaked waters, the US swimmer set a new record, further enhancing her decorated stature in the swimming world. Competing in the women’s 200m breaststroke at the ongoing Swimming World Cup 2024, Douglass touched the wall in an impressive 2:14.16.

Now, this timing was something that the adrenaline rushed Douglass was not aware of initially. But just a few moments later, she became aware of her historic feat. A new world record has been established, humbling the 15-year-old record of 2:14.57s set by Rebecca Soni back in 2009. 

Acknowledging the feat, the official account of World Aquatics took to their X handle to post the same. Expressing significant joy in her special achievement, the post read, “Kate Douglass breaks Rebecca Soni WR from 2009 with an incredible swim in the 200m Breaststroke #SWC2024 #FASTLANE #UNITEDBYRACING”

While this was surely a moment to rejoice for Douglass, the University of Virginia prospect has been accustomed to such historic feats in recent times. Earlier in the recently concluded Paris Olympics, Douglass weaved her magic in the pools of the French capital. Splashing the waters in her favorite 200m breaststroke event, the 22-year-old won the gold medal to mark a memorable outing at the grandest stage. What was more incredible about her Olympic feat was the fact that Douglass got the better of the South African swimmer, Tatjana Smith, who was the reigning champion.

Coming back to her blitzkrieg race in Incheon, the 22-year-old literally obliterated her competition in the World Cup. This can be fathomed from the fact that the runner-up, Tara Kinder from Australia, was five seconds slower than Kate. Kinder clocked 2:19.21s, which looked quite modest when compared to Douglass’ world record timing.

As a matter of fact, the champion looked pumped up right from the word go. She blazed through the 50m mark in just 30.68s and crossed the midway line in 1:04.75s. Having created a split of 1:39.20s at the 150m mark, Douglass held onto the momentum to finish strong. However, this was just a continuation of Kate Douglass’ brilliant run in 2024. Her recent antics in Shanghai were equally breathtaking and she received quite an applause for the same as well. 

Kate Douglass shines in Shanghai garnering praises from teammate and rival, Regan Smith

Kate Douglass taking a plunge in the pool in Shanghai once again proved why she’s one of America’s brightest swimming stars. Fresh off her stellar performances at the Paris Olympics, Douglass stormed the 2024 Swimming World Cup in Shanghai, topping the charts with a series of wins. Smashing two national records, Douglass grabbed two gold medals. 

Moreover, she added another feather to her hat by emerging as the first American woman to dip under 57 seconds in the 100m individual medley. And such a dominating performance from Kate did not go unnoticed by her teammates. Despite losing to Kate Douglass, her Paris co-warrior did not hold back from expressing the admiration for Douglass’ impeccable performances.

After a fiercely competitive battle in Shanghai, where Smith lost the top spot by a razor-thin margin of 0.1 points. The Olympic backstroke champion after watching Douglass reign supreme amid the ripples took to her Instagram to express her thoughts. She simply dropped a one-word message acknowledging Douglass’ brilliance. Tagging Kate, Smith wrote, “Slay”. 

Douglass too did not take long to thank her teammate by reposting the story unraveling the mutual respect and camaraderie that thrive between the two stars. Moreover, the bond between Douglass and Smith runs way deeper as they supported each other in the pool to make their nation proud. Both elite athletes were instrumental in Team USA’s triumph at the Paris Olympics, in the women’s 4x100m medley, where they secured gold with joint efforts. And now, as they face each other as rivals on the World Cup stage, their performances continue to push each other to new heights, adding a different layer to their bond.