Kate Douglass lowered her own women’s 100 metres freestyle short-course world record to 49.64 seconds at the US trials in Westmont, Illinois, on Saturday evening. The result closes the meet with another landmark for the American swimmer ahead of the short-course world championships.
The official results list Gretchen Walsh second in 50.61 and Liberty Clark third in 50.94. Douglass finished 0.97 seconds ahead of Walsh and took 0.29 seconds off the 49.93 she had set in Toronto on 25 October 2025. The new performance is marked as a world record in the timing report.
The decisive change came in the opening half. Douglass reached 50 metres in 23.52 and completed the second half in 26.12. At her previous record swim, her opening split had been 23.93. A more aggressive first 50 metres more than offset the slightly slower return.
The distinction between pool formats matters. This record was set in a 25-metre pool, where a 100-metre race includes three turns. It is a separate event record from the 100 metres freestyle in a 50-metre Olympic pool. The Westmont mark should therefore be described specifically as a short-course world record.
Douglass also secured qualification in four events during the trials. Her programme included a 200 metres breaststroke victory and a 22.75 swim in the 50 metres freestyle that matched the short-course world record. The breadth of those results underlines her ability to combine sprint speed with success in another stroke.
The 100 metres final took place on 31 October in the United States, with international coverage continuing on 1 November. It gives Douglass a faster benchmark to take into the world championships, while leaving the medals at that competition still to be decided.
