American Kate Douglass sets 50-meter freestyle world record at Pan Pacific

August 15, 2026 / 3:01 PM EDT / AP Add CBS News on Google 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. Kate Douglass set the World Record for the Women's 50m Freestyle with a time of 23.49 at the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships. Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images 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 l