Kate Douglass Smashes U.S. Open Record – 4th Fastest Performer in History

2024 U.S. OLYMPIC TRIALS

• June 15-23, 2024
• Lucas Oil Stadium — Indianapolis, IN
• LCM (50 Meters)
• Session Start Times (ET):
  • 11 a.m. Prelims
  • 7:45 p.m. Finals (varying based on broadcast needs)
• Meet Central
• SwimSwam’s Definitive Guide to Trials
• Psych Sheets
• Live Results
• SwimSwam Preview Index
• SwimSwam Pick ’em Contest
• Prelims Recaps: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7
• Finals Recaps: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7
• Final Live Stream
• Day 8 Finals Heat Sheets

Kate Douglass‘s versatility is nearly unparalleled. Despite being the American Record holder in the 50 free, Douglass opted not to swim that event this morning and instead to concentrate on the finals of the 200 IM. Some would say this move paid off in spades, as she demolished her own U.S. Open Record and posted a time of 2:06.79.

Her time this evening eclipses her former personal best of 2:07.05 from last February’s Doha World Championships.

Not only is the swim a new US Open record, surpassing her 2:07.09 from last summer’s Nationals, but it also moves her into rarefied air as she is now just one of six swimmers to have broken the 2:07 barrier, and she ranks as the fourth fastest.

Fastest Women’s 200 IM Performers 

1. Katinka Hosszu, HUN (2015) – 2:06.12
2. Ariana Kukors, USA (2009) – 2:06.15
3. Kaylee McKeown, AUS (2024) – 2:06.63
4. Kate Douglass, USA (2024) – 2:06.79
5. Siobhan-Marie O’Connor, GBR (2016) – 2:06.88
6. Summer McIntosh, CAN (2023) – 2:06.89

With both McKeown and McIntosh likely to swim this event in Paris and Douglass joining the sub 2:07 club, this event will be the fastest the 200 IM has ever been. Alex Walsh, who has a personal best of 2:07.13, ranks as the 7th fastest performer in history, and the pair are the only two American swimmers who are within a second of Kukor’s legendary American record from the 2009 Rome World Championships, where Kukors set a then World Record of 2:06.15. The next fastest American is the retired Kathleen Baker, whose best was 2:08.32.

WOMEN’S 200 INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY— FINAL

• World Record: 2:06.12 – Katinka Hosszu, Hungary (2015)
• World Junior Record: 2:06.89 – Summer McIntosh, Canada (2023)
• American Record: 2:06.15 – Ariana Kukors (2009)
• U.S. Open Record: 2:07.09 – Kate Douglass, USA (2023)
• 2021 U.S. Olympic Trials Champion: Alex Walsh – 2:09.30
• 2024 Olympic Qualifying Time: 2:11.47

Final: 

1. Kate Douglass (NYAC), 2:06.79 U.S. Open Record, CR
2. Alex Walsh (NAC), 2:07.86
3. Isabel Ivey (GSC), 2:10.09
4. Beata Nelson (UN), 2:10.38
5. Leah Hayes (TIDE), 2:11.81
6. Zoe Dixon (FLOR), 2:12.01
7. Lilla Bognar (TG), 2:12.48
8. Lucy Bell (ALTO), 2:13.67

Kate Douglass has done it — she smashes her U.S. Open Record from 2023 and becomes the 4th fastest performer in history with a blistering 2:06.79. She’s just the 6th woman in history to get under the 2:07 barrier in this event. She and her Virginia teammate Alex Walsh went 1-2 in the event, with Walsh punching her ticket to Paris and joining G. Walsh on an Olympic team together.

Douglass jumped on the race from the start; she opened the race in 26.78, about five-tenths under world record pace. She was the only one who opened their race sub-27 as Beata Nelson turned 2nd in 27.23. By the 100 though, A. Walsh had inched up on Douglass. Douglass split 33.27 on backstroke to A. Walsh’s 32.74, maintaining just a .13 lead.

A. Walsh continued to push on the breaststroke leg but Douglass gained a little more room with a 36.57 split, widening the gap to two-tenths at the final turn. Douglass brought her race home in 30.17, shaking off Walsh and speeding to her final time of 2:06.79. This is her third event win at these Trials, adding to her 100 free and 200 breast wins earlier in the week.

A. Walsh split 31.04 in the freestyle leg. It’s the third slowest freestyle split in this final, but Walsh had built up more than enough of a gap during the rest of the race that she touched second without any challengers around her. She clocked 2:07.86, a time she described herself as “happy with for now,” but continued that she was “excited to see what we can do in Paris” as the pair look to make a second-straight Olympic podium.

Isabel Ivey, meanwhile, charged in lane 1 on the freestyle leg. She closed in 29.92, moving from 5th at the last turn all the way into third. Ivey posted 2:10.09, a second personal best in this event at this meet.