Kate Douglass breaks girls’s 50m freestyle world report at Pro Swim Series Indianapolis 2026

Double Olympic champion Kate Douglass is formally the quickest lady to ever swim 50 metres within the freestyle stroke, doing so in 23.59 seconds on the 2026 Pro Swim Series Indianapolis on Friday (19 June) night – in entrance of an undoubtedly unsuspecting crowd.

The Indiana University Natatorium erupted in a cacophony of hoots, hollers and cheers, because the 24-year-old from Pelham, New York broke Swedish star Sarah Sjöström’s earlier world-record mark of 23.61 seconds from the 2023 World Aquatics Championships.

Douglass herself might hardly consider what had simply transpired within the pool, treading water as she absorbing the second to the fullest extent, reaching the wall mere milliseconds earlier than runner-up Gretchen Walsh, who completed in a time of 23.78.

While Walsh broke the previous American report of 23.91 – held collectively by herself and Douglass – it wasn’t sufficient to overtake the indomitable swim of the now world report holder, who she acknowledged instantly after the race.

Anna Moesch was subsequent to succeed in the end after the 2 quickest girls in American swimming historical past, developing wanting the 24-second barrier at 24.20, adopted intently behind by six-time Olympic medallist Torri Huske in 24.27.

But there was no doubting who’d all of a sudden turn out to be the star of the night – upstaging stars like Caeleb Dressel and Katie Ledecky – to announce her arrival on the prime of the freestyle world forward of the Pan Pacific Championships later this 12 months.

“I think I’m still in shock,” Douglass advised broadcasters after the race. “I don’t know what to say.

“I used to be actually hoping to interrupt the American report, however – wow – I’m actually excited!”