Kate Douglass Swims 2:14.16 200 Breast, Breaking Rebecca Soni’s Super-Suited World Record

2024 World Aquatics Swimming World Cup – Incheon

• Friday, October 24th – Sunday, October 26th
• Shanghai, China
• Prelims at 9:30am local (8:30pm ET previous night)/Finals at 6:30pm local (6:30am ET)
• SCM (25m)
• Meet Central
• Event Schedule
• Entries Book
• Live Results
• Day 1 Finals Live Recap

Make that two short-course world records in one week for UVA-based swimmers as Kate Douglass adds her name to the world record book for the first time in an individual event. Douglass dismantled the super-suited women’s 200 breaststroke world record, which Rebecca Soni held at 2:14.57 since December 2009.

Douglass earned her first individual Olympic gold medal in the long-course 200 breaststroke in Paris. Two years ago, she won the 2022 SC world title in a championship record 2:15.77, which stood as her lifetime best until her swim in Incheon. Given the improvements that Douglass has made in the 50-meter pool in the almost two years since that meet, there was plenty of anticipation to see what she could post in the lead-up to this year’s edition of the Short Course World Championships in December.

Douglass neared her best time last week in Shanghai, swimming 2:15.96. In the Incheon final, she jumped on the race from the start, opening in 30.68—well under world record pace.

Split Comparison:

Douglass turned at the halfway point in 1:04.75, .43 seconds ahead of Soni’s 1:05.18 opening 100 meters. Douglass’s third 50 was remarkable—she split 34.45, extending her lead over the world record line to .80 seconds. Not only was she .37 seconds ahead of Soni’s pace, but the third 50 split was a big drop from 2022, as she out-split herself by .85 seconds.

Then, she managed to keep herself sub-35 seconds over the final 50 meters of the race. Soni’s world record crept up, but Douglass built a big enough lead over the first 150 meters of the race that she was able to stave off the world record line. She stopped the clock at 2:14.16, breaking Soni’s world record by .41 seconds.

Douglass is now the world record holder and world champion in the 25-meter pool, the Olympic champion and American record holder in the 50-meter pool, and the NCAA and American record holder in the 200-yard breaststroke. She cements herself as arguably the best 200 breaststroker across all three pool sizes we’ve ever seen.

By wiping Soni’s record off the books, only one supersuited short course meters world record remains on the women’s side: Therese Alshammar’s 24.38 mark in the 50 butterfly from the Singapore stop on the 2009 World Cup.

Douglass won the Shanghai World Cup on the women’s side. Through one day of racing, she’s leading the Incheon standings with 39.7 points and remains undefeated on the 2024 World Cup series through six events.