---
title: "Kate Douglass 50m freestyle world record Pan Pacific Championships, California; 23.49s"
sdDatePublished: "2026-08-16T08:15:00Z"
source: "https://www.olympics.com/en/news/us-sensation-kate-douglass-50m-freestyle-world-record-pan-pacific-championships"
topics:
  - name: "swimming"
    identifier: "medtop:20001071"
  - name: "Olympic Games"
    identifier: "medtop:20001177"
  - name: "sport"
    identifier: "medtop:15000000"
locations:
  - "California"
  - "United States"
---


Kate Douglass 50m freestyle world record Pan Pacific Championships, California; 23.49s

U.S. sensation Kate Douglass blasts to 50m freestyle world record at Pan Pacific Championships 2026

U.S. sensation Kate Douglass blasts to 50m freestyle world record at Pan Pacific Championships 2026

The versatile swimmer reclaimed her global mark in the freestyle sprint event, clocking 23.49 seconds in the heats at the Pan Pacific Championships in California on Saturday (15 August).

Two-time Olympic champion Kate Douglass reclaimed the women’s 50 metres freestyle world record with a blistering time of 23.49 seconds at the Pan Pacific Championships in California on Saturday (15 August).

She shaved 0.06 off the mark training partner Gretchen Walsh set in June for the latest instalment of the tit-for-tat battle between the two swimmers.

The 24-year-old Douglass set the world record for the first time in June with a time of 23.59 before Walsh set a new mark of 23.55 just nine days later.

Douglass and Walsh will go toe to toe in a mouth-watering dual after both qualified for the women’s 50m freestyle final.

Her stellar performance in the splash-and-dash event comes a day after she posted the second-fastest 100m freestyle time ever, stopping the clock on 51.69, just 0.01s off the world record. She posted the time leading off the U.S. team in the 4x100m freestyle at the championships.

Kate Douglass wins 200m breaststroke gold for USA | Olympic Games Paris 2024

Picture by 2025 Getty Images