Westchester native Kate Douglas had a strong performance in the 200-meter Olympic breaststroke on Thursday, narrowly beating 2021 Olympic champion Tatyana Smith to earn the gold medal for Team USA.
Douglas, who graduated from Pelham Memorial High School in 2019 and then joined the University of Virginia’s NCAA championship team, touched the wall in 2 minutes, 19.24 seconds to win his first Olympic gold medal.
It was the Americans’ second medal of the 2024 Games, having helped the U.S. team win silver in the women’s 4×100-meter freestyle relay on the first day of Olympic competition.
The 22-year-old won the tournament in Tokyo on Thursday and then took gold in Paris on Monday, beating South African swimmer Smith, who won gold in the 100m breaststroke.
Smith still holds the Olympic record for the 200 meters, setting a time of 2 minutes 18.95 seconds in Tokyo.
This will be Douglas’ second Olympic appearance – he won a bronze medal in the 200-meter individual medley for the U.S. in 2021 – but this will be his first time competing in the 200-meter breaststroke at the Games.
2024 Paris Olympics
Douglas has been a standout in women’s swimming for the past four years, helping the University of Virginia win four consecutive NCAA championships from 2021-2024.
The American had an impressive performance at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in June, winning four individual events – the 100m freestyle, 200m breaststroke, 200m individual medley and 50m freestyle – to qualify for the Olympics.
Douglas opted to skip the 100m freestyle at the Olympics to prioritize the breaststroke competition on Thursday, but is expected to be a strong contender in the 200m individual medley and 50m freestyle events over the coming days.
Douglas also swam across the pool from veteran U.S. breaststroker Lilly King in the final, but despite making it to the finals, King finished in eighth place with a time of 2:25.91.
King competed in both Rio and Tokyo, winning two gold medals, two silver and one bronze medal, but announced before the Games that these would probably be her last Olympics.
Douglas will be hoping to continue his dominance when he competes in the 200m individual medley and 50m freestyle from August 2-4.
