Olympic gold medalist Kate Douglass recently appeared on world famous economist Steven Levitt’s People I Mostly Admire Podcast to talk about her swim career, data science, and the intersection thereof.
Listen to the podcast below or using this link: Using Data to Win Gold – Freakonomics
Douglass first talked with Levitt about her complaints about the Paris Olympic venues. She said USA Swimming was “a little bit underwhelmed” when they first walked onto the pool deck at La Défense Arena, and that the mattresses in the village were less than optimal.
As the conversation turned to her swimming, Douglass broke down her gold medal-winning 200 breaststroke swim in Paris. When Levitt pointed out that she pulled ahead of silver medalist Tatjana Smith at every wall, Douglass accredited her turn strength to her box jumps in the weight room.
Levitt and Douglass then talked through Douglass’ academic achievements in data science. As a master’s student in statistics at the University of Virginia, Douglass co-authored papers on the intersection of swimming and data. Her faculty adviser and paper co-author, Dr. Ken Ono, comes to UVA practices once a month to gather data from accelerometers. Ono’s team of students, which include Douglass, then analyze the data to find areas for improvement. Douglass said that although she applies the analysis to her swimming, she doesn’t like working directly with her own data because she wants to swim based on feeling.
For now, Douglass uses her academics to take her mind off her job as a professional swimmer. However, in the near future she plans to pivot career paths and pursue data science full time. She will swim through the 2024-25 season and “likely” the 2025-26 season. She said there’s a 50/50 chance she swims through the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. If she did, 2028 would for sure be her last year.
The episode was released before Douglass’ recent world record in the short course 200m breastroke.
Steven Levitt is an economics professor at the University of Chicago. His 2005 book “Freakanomics,” sold over five million copies worldwide.
Unless her performance declines significantly (which I don’t expect) would be very surprising for her to retire this close to a home Olympics.
What the heck does she mean by 50/50 chance?!?! As I understand it, swimming wagers made on her are based on pairs of goggles to be eaten.
Kate strikes me as a swimmer who doesn’t have an absolute, pure love of the water as much as say, Ledecky. I think she’d have always found something that she’d excel at if she wasn’t swimming and is generally a very driven person but that she doesn’t have chlorine in her veins so to speak and her life won’t continue to be tied to swimming as much as some of her peers once she’s done.
She is a scholar-athlete in the truest sense of the word. I wish all athletes were like her in this way
She is 100% going to 2028
lol she is so dramatic sometimes
I love KD, but one thing I’ve always noticed, which isn’t a bad thing, is she tends to come off on the more pessimistic side usually. Maybe not pessimistic, but quite blunt. She will never sugarcoat. It’s probably the NYC in her. I would be shocked if she retired before LA, but I do understand, because with the research she’s done and connections she has from UVA and her major, she could get an amazing job.
Data Science will be there waiting whenever her elite swimming career is over.
Lots of people can be data scientists. Olympic champions and World Record holders…. not so much
There is no need to rush the 9-5.
Travel the world, kick arse, and make $$$$. Enjoy youth.
Gotta appreciate the honesty. Such a grueling sport and athletes don’t owe anyone an intent to commit through x year
She can coach the UVA men’s team up a little
We need a swimswam NIL deal to keep Kate swimming