All articles tagged with #50m freestyle
American Kate Douglass set and then crushed the 50m freestyle world record at the Pan Pacific Championships, clocking 23.49 in the prelims and 23.19 in the final, while also taking silver in the 200m breaststroke and helping the U.S. win gold in the 4x100m medley relay for a rare three-medal night.
Day 4 prelims at the 2026 Pan Pacific Championships featured a sprint-studded session: Kate Douglass blasted 23.49 to reclaim the women’s 50m free world record (with Gretchen Walsh close behind at 23.78) and Jamie Jack posted a Pan Pacific record 21.42 in the men’s 50m free; Shaine Casas failed to crack the 200m IM final, while Japan led the men’s 200m breast prelims with Shin Ohashi at 2:08.90 and Yamato Fukasawa at 2:09.72, and Kate Douglass along with Kotomi Kato posted strong times in the women’s 200m breast. Slower heats in the 800m and 1500m saw Caitlin Deans and Benjamin Goedemans post the morning's best times, respectively, setting the stage for tonight’s finals under the meet’s two-per-country rules.
Germany's Johannes Liebmann smashed the men's 1500m freestyle world record at the European Aquatics Championships in Paris with 14:26.79, becoming the first to dip under 14:30 since Grant Hackett in 2001, while American Kate Douglass set a new women's 50m freestyle world mark at the Pan Pacific Championships in California with 23.49 seconds, reclaiming the record from Gretchen Walsh.
Gretchen Walsh clocked 23.55 seconds to set the long-course world record in the women’s 50m freestyle at the Sette Colli meet in Rome, surpassing Kate Douglass’ 23.59. Walsh is now the fastest woman ever in the 50m free (and 100m fly) and says she’ll keep chasing more world records across events.
Gretchen Walsh shattered the long-course world record in the women’s 50m freestyle with a 23.55 at Rome’s Sette Colli Trophy, surpassing Kate Douglass’ prior 23.59. The Virginia graduate, who has faced skepticism about her LC potential, exclaimed “I’m here” and conveyed confidence in continuing to chase world records as she primes for LA 2028 and a rising U.S. sprint lineup.
Kate Douglass unexpectedly set a new women’s 50-meter freestyle world record at the 2026 Pro Swim Series in Indianapolis, clocking 23.59 to break Sarah Sjostrom’s mark and leaving fans, rivals, and herself stunned.
Australian sprinter Cameron McEvoy swam a 20.88 in the 50m freestyle to erase Cesar Cielo’s 2009 world record at the 2026 China Swimming Open, beating the previous mark by 0.03 seconds while Jack Alexy took silver and Kyle Chalmers bronze.
Kate Douglass set a new U.S. female 50m freestyle record with a time of 23.91 seconds, winning a silver medal and surpassing the previous record held by Simone Manuel.