Kate Douglass opened day 2 of the 2023 U.S. Open Swimming Championships with a golden smile. She began her campaign with the 200 IM and proceeded to triumph once again in the 50m freestyle. With her eyes on the prize, Kate Douglass shot like a bullet from one end of the pool to the other. Interestingly, her victories at the Greensboro Aquatic Center were handcrafted by a legendary coach in Virginia. 

Kate Douglass trains with the UVA swimming team under the watchful eyes of head coach Todd Desorbo. The coach belongs to the new age of coaching and has revamped the training program. As the architect of victory, this visionary coach has sculpted a modern and innovative approach to training. 

Todd Desorbo designed Kate Douglass’ swim routine

Todd Desorbo began working with Kate Douglass pretty much from her freshman days at the University of Virginia. He studied her performance in those initial days and said, “[she] works every stroke and with pretty much all training groups”. Nonetheless, the coach had to figure out a routine that guaranteed results. He designed a workout predicated upon eight dolphin kicks, followed by powerful strokes for maximum pool coverage. Todd Desorbo has done away with the yardage, citing, “I don’t track yardage at all, we go off of how the group looks”. Besides this, Todd Desorbo has also done away with the warm-up session, which he believes to be gimmicky. 

Desorbo has an impressive resume as an assistant coach to the U.S. Olympic Swimming Team in 2020 and the world team at the 2022 FINA World Championships. At the 2020 Olympics, four of his Virginia swimmers, including Kate Douglass, won 18 medals. Notwithstanding his role in her current trajectory, one more individual played a significant role in Douglass’ career. 

Carle Fierro shaping Kate Douglass’ swimming journey

Carle Fierro is the owner and head coach at Westchester Aquatic Club. There, she coached Kate Douglass from the ages of 7 to 15. She helped the young legend imbibe the philosophy of “less is more” at the age of 12. This stratagem was the cornerstone of her stroke drills at the training center. Fierro taught her the effectiveness of “distance per stroke,” which ultimately bore fruit at the 2022 NCAA Games. She made the national record in the 200-yard breaststroke. 

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Even as a teenager, the swimming ace focused on improving her technique and challenging herself. Now, as the Olympics are approaching, she has begun training with Todd Desorbo, who will accompany her to Paris as the team’s head coach. 

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