Nine-year-old record set
American woman breaks swimming world record
June 20, 2026 – 11:25 a.mReading time: 1 min.
In Indianapolis, Kate Douglass beat Sarah Sjöström’s three-year-old record by two hundredths. And not even in their specialty.
The American Kate Douglass set a new world record in the 50 m freestyle at the meeting in Indianapolis. In 23.59 seconds she was two hundredths below the previous best set by the Swede Sarah Sjöström – as a specialist in a completely different discipline.
In Paris, Douglass won Olympic gold in the 200 m breaststroke. The fact that she now swims a world record in the freestyle sprint makes her one of the most versatile swimmers in the world.
At the same time, the world record on this route returns to the USA after 40 years. On June 14, 1986, Dara Torres gave the record to the Romanian Tamara Costache. German Olympic champion Britta Steffen held the record from 2009 to 2017 before Sjöström replaced her. The Swede undercut herself again six years later.