FLASH! Kate Douglass Lowers 200IM WR; Takes Down Katinka Hosszu’s 2014 Mark En-Route To Gold
Kate Douglass lowered the 200IM world record that had stood since 2014 as en-route to gold at the short-course worlds in Budapest.
The USA swimmer went 2:01.63 to take 0.23 from the time of 2:01.86 that had stood to Katinka Hosszu since the 2014 edition in Doha.
It was the fourth WR of the first night at the Duna Arena in the Hungarian capital following Summer McIntosh (400 free), Noè Ponti (50 fly) and USA teammate Gretchen Walsh (50 fly).
Teammate Alex Walsh was second in 2:02.65 with Abbie Wood lowering her British record in 2:02.75 for bronze.
Splits for Douglass and Hosszu in their record swims, two athletes who swim it very differently.
- Douglass (2024) – 26.04 – 31.57 – 35.30 – 28.72 – 2:01.63
- Hosszu (2014) – 26.47 – 29.93 – 36.09 – 29.37 – 2:01.86
Douglass’s time knocks Hosszu’s final short-course record from the world boards. The Hungarian legend still holds the long-course 200 IM.
“It was really exciting,” said Douglass, who would go on to set a world record in the 400 free relay with the Americans. “It was easy to build on the momentum throughout the night, many world records were broken. It was awesome to finish it off with a world record also.”
Douglass needed a push over the final 50 just to get to the win much less the record. Wood was first at the 150-meter mark, though Douglass had taken four tenths out of her on breaststroke and had the momentum to go by her. Wood slipped to second at the 175 meters and was passed by Walsh on the final 25 by a tenth. Walsh had the fastest closing 50 in 28.61, with Wood getting home in 29.93.
For Walsh, who was denied a bronze medal with a disqualification in the 200 IM behind Douglass’s silver in Paris, the silver is a modicum of consolation on a challenging year.
“My goal was just to win a medal, so I’m really happy with the silver medal and also this new personal best, because I just didn’t really know where I was going to be at this point of the season,” Walsh said.
Wood, 25, finished fifth in 200 IM at the Olympics. She’s happy to continue to be dropping time, especially in a domain that has long been a strength of hers.
“It’s a 2-second personal best,” Wood said. “At this stage in my career how could I ask for anything more? Kate swimming world-record pace next to me really helped. I was tiring up on the last 50, but it’s a PB, I can’t do more.”
Wood’s swim denied a second medal of the session to Mary-Sophie Harvey, who augmented her 400 free bronze with a fourth-place finish in 2:04.30. She was never in a medal place, running sixth as late as 125 meters. Harvey would add bronze in the 400 free relay with Canada. Ellen Walshe lowered the Irish record she set in the morning by a second to 2:05.52 to finish fifth ahead of Rebecca Meder of South Africa.
