Kate Douglass blazes to 50 free world record in Pan Pacific prelims

Kate Douglass has set a world record in the women's 50-meter freestyle at the Pan Pacific Championships

IRVINE, Calif. -- IRVINE, Calif. (AP) — Kate Douglass set a world record in the women's 50-meter freestyle in the preliminary heats of the Pan Pacific Championships on Saturday.

The 24-year-old from the New York City suburb of Pelham touched in 23.49 seconds in her heat at the outdoor pool in Irvine, California.

Douglass lowered the mark of 23.55 set by teammate Gretchen Walsh at an international meet in Rome in June.

It's the second time Douglass has lowered the world mark in the sprint race. She first did it on June 19 at the TYR Pro Swim Series meet in Indianapolis, posting a time of 23.59. Nine days later, Walsh lowered it again.

Douglass is a five-time Olympic medalist. She earned silver in the 50 free at the 2024 world championships but didn't compete in the event at the 2024 Paris Games.

Walsh swam in the heat after Douglass and was timed in 23.78, making them the top two qualifiers for the evening final on the final day of competition in Irvine.

It was the first individual world record set at the meet that includes swimmers from the U.S., Australia, Canada, Japan and China, among others.