After Breaking the American Record, Kate Douglass May Not Swim the 50 Free at Olympic Trials
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- čas přidán 15. 06. 2024
- At the 2024 World Championships in Doha, Kate Douglass swam a 23.91 50 free, good for silver behind world record holder Sarah Sjostrom. That broke the previous American record held by Simone Manuel.
Douglass explains that getting through Sarah Sjostrom to reach the top of the podium is an obstacle that many have tried and few have succeeded. She has been training for the 200 IM and she is the reigning world champion in it, so she feels more confident in focusing on that event (that does overlap with the 50 free at the Olympic Trials and the Olympic Games).
0:00 Kate Douglass Introduction
1:03 Managing School While at World Champs
2:37 Gretchen Walsh 19.9 Split & 20.5 50 Free
3:49 100 Free/200 Breast Double
7:10 Managing Time Difference/Travel
8:39 200 IM
9:39 50 Free
11:00 Olympic Trials Schedule
14:30 Mixed Relays
16:24 Takeaways - Sport
I bet UVA workouts are more difficult than big meets. Imagine doing stroke and W1 never dying, then switching to sprints and having to deal with W2 blasting off the walls like lightning.
I guess that the people that plan the schedule of events for the Olympics never anticipated someone with Kate’s incredible versatility. Very unfortunate that the American record holder in the 50 free can’t swim that event because of the conflict with the 200 IM.
Kate is so good she can do any event 🔥 ‼️😄
"I felt terrible and was sick." Breaks American record and gets a bunch of medals, lol. Yeah, she's a stud. I hope she does all the events but I'm a greedy fan and wanna see more of her. Good luck Kate!
I feel like the prospect of facing a surging McIntosh in the 200 IM is even less enviable than going up against Sjostrom in the 50 free. Sjostrom has failed to win the 50 free gold in her last 3 Olympic appearances, and even though her event schedule has been (presumably) whittled down to just that event, the immense pressure that she’ll be under in Paris could cause her to falter. Douglass and Wasick were almost matching her for most of the race in Doha.
Meanwhile, McIntosh is still just 17, went 2:06.89 way back in March of last year, and presumably has way more time to drop. I expect her to be at least under 2:06.4 in Paris, and she could realistically get the WR.
Summer definitely is on the rise, and will be a formidable opponent (and likely the favorite to win) in the 200IM. However, Kate is also still improving, as evidenced by her huge PB in the 200 breaststroke a few months ago.
McIntosh is a very special swimmer, but her and Douglas are quite closely matched in the 200 IM: Sjostrom is in a completely different league in the 50 free. Yes, she hasn't won the Olympic gold in the event before, but she wasn't dominant in it during the first half of her career and her last Olympic games were ruined by a serious injury shortly before the games.
I think the 200IM is going to be crazy. I wouldn't be surprised if it took a 2:06 high to make the podium. People are assuming Summer is the favorite but she hasn't matched her time since trials so who knows. I wouldn't rule out Summer, Kate, Kaylee or Alex for gold.
I was thinking similar. There should have been a related question from the interviewer. Somehow he avoided anything regarding the 200 IM, including Kate's backstroke leg and if she's doing anything to improve it. I fully expect Summer to win that race, perhaps by margin. But you have to force her to do it. More things can go wrong in a 200 and given her schedule, than for Sjostrom targeting one event. Douglass has only gone 23.9 one time. If she were regular in that range and with more apparent upside, then it's a greater dilemma.
I see a 2:04+ for Kate Douglass in 2024. All around best swimmer in the world today, including the Walsh sisters who are her training partners. It'll be a fantastic race as Kate will lead slightly after fly, Summer will pass her in the back, Kate will retake the lead back on the breast and Kate will hold her lead on the free and bring home the victory !!
Go Kate !! 💯
Despite the stack of metals, I suspected she wasn't fully rested at worlds; really think she can do the 200IM WR at the Olympics.