08/15/26 10:18:00
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08/15 22:16 CDT Kate Douglass storms to another 50 free world record, winning
Pan Pacs in 23.19
Kate Douglass storms to another 50 free world record, winning Pan Pacs in 23.19
By BETH HARRIS
AP Sports Writer
IRVINE, Calif. (AP) --- Kate Douglass lowered her own world record in the
women's 50-meter freestyle for the second time Saturday, winning the Pan
Pacific Championships final in 23.19 seconds.
In the morning preliminaries, the 24-year-old American swam 23.49 to take the
mark away from teammate Gretchen Walsh, who finished second in the evening
final in 23.74.
Douglass returned 25 minutes later to finish second in the 200 breaststroke.
She rallied down the stretch but couldn't catch Alexanne Lepage of Canada, who
led the entire race and touched in 2:21.73. Douglass finished in 2:22.57.
Walsh had owned the 50 free record of 23.55 since setting it in June at an
international meet in Rome.
It's the third time Douglass has lowered the world mark in the sprint race. She
first did it on June 19 at the TYR Pro Swim Series meet in Indianapolis,
posting a time of 23.59. Nine days later, Walsh lowered it again.
Douglass is a five-time Olympic medalist. She earned silver in the 50 free at
the 2024 world championships but didn't compete in the event at the 2024 Paris
Games.
It was the second individual world record set at the meet that includes
swimmers from the U.S., Australia, Canada, Japan and China, among others.
The men's 50 free was won by Jamie Jack of Australia in a championship record
of 21.35. American Jack Alexy took silver in 21.42.
Yu Yiting of China defeated a strong field including world record-holder Summer
McIntosh to win the 200 individual medley.
Yu was under world-record pace on the opening butterfly leg before American
Regan Smith took over the lead on the backstroke. Yu moved back in front on the
breaststroke and held off McIntosh in the closing meters. Yu's time of 2
minutes, 7.45 seconds set a championship record in the outdoor pool in Irvine.
McIntosh, the Canadian star whose lone individual victory of the week was in
the 400 IM, took silver in 2:07.47. American Alex Walsh, the older sister of
Gretchen Walsh, earned bronze in 2:07.66. Smith finished fourth.
McIntosh claimed silver in the 200 freestyle and bronze in the 4 x 200
freestyle relay. She surprisingly failed to qualify for the 400 free
championship final, but finished first in the ?B' final.
"It wasn't a horrible swim, but getting touched out is something that is never
a good thing to feel," she said. "Overall, the meet didn't go the way I wanted
it to, so there'll definitely be a lot of reflection."
In the men's 200 IM, Tomoyuki Matushita of Japan won in 1:56.02 over American
Carson Foster.
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