Kate Douglass Rips 2:07.89 200 IM Time Trial At Knoxville PSS

2024 PRO SWIM SERIES – KNOXVILLE

• January 10-13, 2024
• Knoxville, Tennessee
• LCM (50 meters)
• Start Times
  • All Prelims: 9am (EST)
  • Thurs-Sat Finals: 6pm (EST)
• Meet Central
• Psych Sheets
• Live Results
• Day 1 Finals Live Recap
• Day 2 Prelims Live Recap
• Day 2 Finals Live Recap
• Day 3 Prelims Live Recap

After an impressive double on Thursday night that included tying the Pro Swim Series Record in the women’s 100 free and establishing a new lifetime best in the 100 breast, Kate Douglass kept the ball rolling on Friday.

After scratching out of the 100 fly during the preliminary session, Douglass took to the pool for a time trial in the 200 IM, dropping a season-best time of 2:07.89 to fall just eight-tenths shy of her personal best and U.S. Open Record of 2:07.09 set at the U.S. National Championships last summer.

Douglass’ swim marks the third-fastest of her career and her third time breaking 2:08, having also gone 2:07.17 at the 2023 World Championships where she was the gold medalist.

Split Comparison

Douglass was under her U.S. Open Record pace through the first 100, and was notably nearly a full second quicker at the halfway mark compared to where she was at the World Championships before falling slightly off the pace on the back half.

The 22-year-old came into the meet with a season-best time of 2:08.46 set at last month’s U.S. Open, and thus doesn’t improve on her current world rankings, which is #3 behind Australia’s Kaylee McKeown and China’s Yu Yiting.

In terms of overall performances, Douglass’ swim ties for 30th all-time and sixth-fastest among Americans. Only American Record holder Ariana Kukors, Douglass and Alex Walsh have broken 2:08 among U.S. swimmers.

Douglass’ appearance in the time trial more than likely tells us that she won’t race the 200 IM on Saturday, where she was slated for a marquee showdown with the fastest swimmer in the world last year, Canadian Summer McIntosh, and Walsh, the 2022 world champion and Douglass’ University of Virginia training partner.

McIntosh went 2:06.89 in the 200 IM at the Canadian Trials last year but ended up scratching the event at the World Championships.

Douglass is also entered to race the 200 breast and 50 free tomorrow, with the 200 IM sandwiched between the two on the schedule.

In addition to being the reigning world champion in the long course 200 IM, Douglass also holds that distinction in short course meters, having won the 2022 SC World title in Melbourne, and she was also the 2023 NCAA champion in the event, setting a new U.S. Open and American Record in the short course yards pool.

At the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, Douglass was the bronze medalist in the 200 IM behind Japan’s Yui Ohashi and Walsh.