Kate Douglass facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Kate Douglass

Personal information
Born	(2001-11-17) November 17, 2001 (age 24) Pelham, New York, U.S.
Height	5 ft 10 in
Weight	125 lb
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Strokes	Medley, breaststroke, freestyle, butterfly
Club	New York Athletic Club
College team	University of Virginia
Coach	Todd DeSorbo
Medal record Women's swimming Representing the  United States Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 2 2 1 World Championships (LC) 7 7 5 World Championships (SC) 11 6 2 World Junior Championships 0 1 0 Olympic Games Gold 2024 Paris 200 m breaststroke Gold 2024 Paris 4×100 m medley Silver 2024 Paris 200 m medley Silver 2024 Paris 4×100 m freestyle Bronze 2020 Tokyo 200 m medley World Championships (LC) Gold 2023 Fukuoka 200 m medley Gold 2023 Fukuoka 4×100 m medley Gold 2024 Doha 200 m medley Gold 2024 Doha 4×100 m mixed medley Gold 2025 Singapore 200 m breaststroke Gold 2025 Singapore 4x100 m mixed freestyle Gold 2025 Singapore 4×100 m medley Silver 2023 Fukuoka 200 m breaststroke Silver 2023 Fukuoka 4×100 m freestyle Silver 2023 Fukuoka 4×100 m mixed freestyle Silver 2024 Doha 50 m freestyle Silver 2024 Doha 200 m breaststroke Silver 2025 Singapore 100 m breaststroke Silver 2025 Singapore 4×100 m freestyle Bronze 2022 Budapest 200 m breaststroke Bronze 2022 Budapest 4×100 m freestyle Bronze 2022 Budapest 4×100 m mixed freestyle Bronze 2023 Fukuoka 4×100 m mixed medley Bronze 2024 Doha 4×100 m mixed freestyle World Championships (SC) Gold 2021 Abu Dhabi 4×50 m freestyle Gold 2021 Abu Dhabi 4×100 m freestyle Gold 2022 Melbourne 200 m breaststroke Gold 2022 Melbourne 200 m medley Gold 2022 Melbourne 4×50 m freestyle Gold 2022 Melbourne 4×100 m medley Gold 2022 Melbourne 4×50 m mixed medley Gold 2024 Budapest 200 m breaststroke Gold 2024 Budapest 200 m medley Gold 2024 Budapest 4×100 m freestyle Gold 2024 Budapest 4×100 m medley Silver 2021 Abu Dhabi 4×50 m medley Silver 2021 Abu Dhabi 4×50 m mixed medley Silver 2022 Melbourne 4×100 m freestyle Silver 2022 Melbourne 4×50 m medley Silver 2024 Budapest 50 m freestyle Silver 2024 Budapest 100 m medley Bronze 2021 Abu Dhabi 200 m medley Bronze 2024 Budapest 100 m freestyle World Junior Championships Silver 2017 Indianapolis 4×100 m freestyle

Katherine Cadwallader Douglass, known as Kate Douglass, is an amazing American swimmer. She has won many medals, including two gold medals at the Olympics! Kate is also a world record holder in several swimming events. She is known for her incredible skill in different swimming styles like breaststroke, freestyle, butterfly, and medley.

Kate swam for the University of Virginia during her college years from 2019 to 2023. She helped her team win three national championships. Individually, she won 15 gold and 6 silver medals in college. Kate was even named the best college female swimmer twice!

Kate's Early Life and Start in Swimming

Kate Douglass was born in Pelham, New York, on November 17, 2001. She has a younger sister, Abby, and a younger brother, Will. Kate went to Pelham Memorial High School.

She started swimming at a young age, joining the Westchester Aquatic Club when she was seven. Later, she swam with the Chelsea Piers Aquatic Club during her last two years of high school.

Kate's Swimming Journey and Big Wins

Starting Strong: High School Records

Kate first caught everyone's attention in 2016. As a high school sophomore, she broke a 34-year-old national record in the 50-yard freestyle! A month later, she tied another national record in the same event.

First Olympic Trials and Junior Championships

In 2016, Kate competed in the U.S. Olympic Trials. She swam in four different races but did not make the Olympic team that year.

At the 2017 World Junior Championships, Kate earned a silver medal. She was part of the U.S. team in the 4×100 meter freestyle relay.

Youth Olympics and College Choice

Kate competed in the 2018 Youth Olympic Games. She finished seventh in the 50-meter freestyle. During this time, she decided to swim for the University of Virginia in college.

College Success: Breaking Records at Virginia

Kate became a top swimmer during her freshman year at the University of Virginia. She broke several records in the 50-yard freestyle and 200-yard breaststroke. She also set a new conference record in the 200-yard individual medley.

In 2020, Kate won three conference titles at the ACC Championships. She was a top contender for the national championships, but the event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

More College Records and First NCAA Title

In 2020 and 2021, Kate continued to set amazing times. She became one of the fastest swimmers ever in the 200-yard individual medley. She also helped her team break an NCAA record in a relay race.

At the 2021 NCAA Championships, Kate won her first individual national title. She won the 50-yard freestyle race. She also helped her team, Virginia, win their first-ever national championship!

Making it to the Olympics!

In June 2021, Kate competed in the U.S. Olympic Trials. She swam incredibly well in the 200-meter individual medley. She finished second, which meant she qualified for her first Olympic Games!

At the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Kate won a bronze medal. She earned it in the 200-meter individual medley, a fantastic achievement!

World Championships Medals (Short Course)

Later in 2021, Kate went to the Short Course World Championships. She won two gold medals in relay races. She also earned a bronze medal in the 200-meter individual medley.

Dominating College Swimming in 2022

Kate continued her amazing college career in 2022. She broke more records in the 200-yard breaststroke. At the ACC Championships, she won three individual titles. She also helped her team break several national records in relays.

At the 2022 NCAA Championships, Kate won an incredible seven titles! She won three individual races and four relay events. She broke national records in the 50-yard freestyle, 100-yard butterfly, and 200-yard breaststroke. She was the first college swimmer to win three national titles in three different strokes! Her performance was called "the greatest single-meet performance in NCAA history."

World Championships Medals (Long Course)

In 2022, Kate qualified for the World Championships in Budapest. She won a bronze medal in the 200-meter breaststroke. She also earned two more bronze medals in freestyle relay races.

More World Records (Short Course)

At the 2022 Short Course World Championships, Kate won her first individual gold medal in a global competition. She set a new Americas record in the 200-meter individual medley. She also helped her team set new world records in two mixed relay events. She won another individual gold in the 200-meter breaststroke.

Unstoppable in College in 2023

Kate continued to break her own records in 2023. She set new U.S. Open and American records in the 200-yard breaststroke. At the ACC Championships, she won three more titles, setting new national records in the 100-yard butterfly and 200-yard individual medley.

At the 2023 NCAA Championships, Kate won seven more titles! She won all three of her individual events, breaking American and U.S. Open records in each. She also helped her team win four relay titles, with two of them setting new national records. Virginia won their third straight team championship. Kate's performance was called "one of the greatest NCAA swimming performances of all time."

Kate graduated from the University of Virginia with a degree in statistics. She continued her studies, focusing on data in competitive swimming.

World Championships Medals in 2023

At the 2023 U.S. National Championships, Kate won gold in the 100-meter freestyle and 200-meter individual medley. She earned a spot on the World Championship team.

At the 2023 World Championships, Kate won six medals, more than any other American swimmer! She won gold in the 200-meter individual medley and the 4×100 meter medley relay.

More World Championships Success in 2024

Kate continued her winning streak at the 2024 World Championships. She won five medals, including two gold. She defended her title in the 200-meter individual medley and won gold in the mixed 4×100 meter medley relay. She also set an American record in the 50-meter freestyle.

Qualifying for the 2024 Olympics

At the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials in June 2024, Kate qualified for the 2024 Olympic Games in three events. She won gold medals in the 100-meter freestyle, 200-meter breaststroke, and 200-meter individual medley, breaking several records along the way.

Olympic Glory in Paris 2024

At the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, Kate won medals in all four of her events! She earned a silver medal with the U.S. 4×100 meter freestyle relay team. Then, she won a gold medal in the 200-meter breaststroke, setting a new American record. She also won a silver medal in the 200-meter individual medley. Finally, she earned another gold medal as part of the U.S. 4×100 meter medley relay team, which set a new world record!

Sports Illustrated praised her performance, saying, "Douglass was the hero America wanted and needed in the pool at these Paris Olympics."

World Cup Champion and More Records

Kate competed in the 2024 World Cup series. She won 11 events and twice broke the 200-meter breaststroke short course world record. She finished as the overall World Cup champion!

World Records at Short Course Worlds 2024

At the 2024 Short Course World Championships in December, Kate won four gold medals, two silver, and one bronze. She set new world records in the 200-meter individual medley, 200-meter breaststroke, 4×100 meter freestyle relay, and 4×100 meter medley relay.

World Championships in 2025

At the 2025 World Championships in Singapore, Kate continued to shine. She won a silver medal with the 4×100 meter freestyle relay. She also earned a silver medal in the 100-meter breaststroke.

Kate became a World Champion for the first time in the 200-meter breaststroke. She then won two more gold medals in relays, helping her team set new world records in the 4×100 meter mixed freestyle relay and the women's 4×100 meter medley relay.

International Championships

Long course (50 m)

Meet	50 free	100 free	100 breast	200 breast	50 fly	200 indiv medley	4×100 free	4×100 medley	4×100 mixed free	4×100 mixed medley
OG 2021
WC 2022
WC 2023		4th
WC 2024		4th
OG 2024
WC 2025					14th

Short course (25 m)

Meet	50 free	100 free	200 breast	100 indiv medley	200 indiv medley	4×50 free	4×100 free	4×50 medley	4×100 medley	4×50 mixed free	4×50 mixed medley
SCW 2021									4th	4th
SCW 2022
SCW 2024

Douglass swam only in the preliminary heats.

Kate's Personal Best Times

Long course (50 m)

Short course (25 m)

Short course (25 yd)

Kate's World Records

Short course (25 m)

Long course (50 m)

Awards and Honors

• Golden Goggle Award for Female Athlete of the Year – 2023 (tied with Katie Ledecky)
• Golden Goggle Award for Relay Performance of the Year – 2025
• Honda Sports Award for Swimming & Diving – 2022 and 2023
• College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Division I Women's Swimmer of the Year – 2022 and 2023
• Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Women's Swimmer of the Year – 2022 and 2023
• ACC Women's Swimming & Diving Scholar-Athlete of the Year – 2022 and 2023

See also

In Spanish: Kate Douglass para niños