World Championships, Day Six Finals: Tes Schouten Pops Dutch Record to Top Kate Douglass in 200 Breaststroke
Last summer, the Netherlands’ Tes Schouten produced the biggest performance of her career when she reached the podium at the World Championships in Fukuoka. In Japan, the Dutchwoman claimed a bronze medal in the 200-meter breaststroke while continuing her impressive climb into the upper echelon of the event.
On Friday, Schouten secured world-champion status.
Leading wire-to-wire, Schouten grabbed the gold medal at the World Champs in Doha. Schouten managed a Dutch-record time of 2:19.81 to top the United States’ Kate Douglass by more than a second. Douglass, who set an American record earlier in the year, picked up the silver medal behind a time of 2:20.91, with the bronze medal going to Canadian Sydney Pickrem in 2:22.94.
It was the second gold medal of the session for a woman from the Netherlands, as Marrit Steenbergen opened the night with a gold-medal performance in the 100 freestyle. Schouten was the silver medalist in the 100 breaststroke earlier in the competition, but she’s always been better suited for the longer distance.
Schouten built a nearly half-second lead over the first 50 meters, thanks to a 31.80 split. She went through the 100-meter mark in 1:07.20, which handed her a lead of almost a second over Douglass. Schouten expanded her edge on the third 50 and while Douglass slightly cut into the Dutchwoman’s margin down the last lap, Schouten was never in danger of being passed.
Over the past two years, Schouten has consistently improved and made a mark on the international scene. Ahead of her bronze medal in the 200 breaststroke in Fukuoka, she medaled in the 100 breaststroke and 100 breaststroke at the 2022 World Short Course Championships. Now, she’s carrying momentum into the push toward this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris.
As for Douglass, her silver medal followed a fourth-place finish in the 100 freestyle from earlier in the evening. The former University of Virginia standout faced a difficult double and with minimal recovery time between her events, the 200 breaststroke effort was a strong showing for the American.
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Nobody forced Douglas to swim double. She had no chances to make podium in 100 free. She did the same mistake last year with the same result. How foolish one could be?