2024 PRO SWIM SERIES – KNOXVILLE
- January 10-13, 2024
- Knoxville, Tennessee
- LCM (50 meters)
- Start Times
- All Prelims: 9am (EST)
- Thurs-Sat Finals: 6pm (EST)
- Meet Central
- Psych Sheets
- Live Results
- Day 1 Finals Live Recap
- Day 2 Prelims Live Recap | Day 2 Finals Live Recap
- Day 3 Prelims Live Recap | Day 3 Finals Live Recap
- Day 4 Prelims Live Recap
Well, that’s one way to kick off the Olympic year.
Kate Douglass crushed a winning time of 2:19.30 at the Pro Swim Series stop in Knoxville on Saturday night, lowering her lifetime best by nearly two seconds while also breaking Rebecca Soni‘s American and U.S. Open records from more than a decade ago.
Soni owned the previous American standard at 2:19.59 from 2012 along with the U.S. Open record at 2:20.38 from 2009. Douglass also took down the Pro Swim Series record of 2:20.77 that Annie Lazor set in 2019.
Splits Comparison
| Kate Douglass, 2024 | Rebecca Soni, 2012 | |
| 50 breast | 32.01 | 32.49 |
| 100 breast | 1:07.05 (35.04) | 1:08.10 (35.61) |
| 150 breast | 1:42.97 (35.92) | 1:43.95 (35.85) |
| 200 breast | 2:19.30 (36.33) | 2:19.59 (35.64) |
Tonight’s swim marked a massive leap forward for Douglass, who picked up bronze and silver medals in the 200 breast at the past two World Championships. Her new best time would have captured gold at last July’s Worlds in Fukuoka more than a second ahead of South Africa’s Tatjana Schoenmaker, making Douglass the new favorite heading into the Paris 2024 Olympics this summer with Russian world record holder Evgeniia Chikunova looking like a long-shot to compete.
Before today, Douglass ranked 55th on the all-time performances list and 15th on the all-time performers list. Now the 22-year-old American has rocketed up to 5th and 4th in those respective rankings.
Top 200-Meter Breast Times Ever
- Evgeniia Chikunova (RUS) – 2:17.55, 2023
- Tatjana Schoenmaker (RSA) – 2:18.95, 2021
- Rikke Pedersen (DEN) – 2:19.11, 2013
- Tatjana Schoenmaker (RSA) – 2:19.16, 2021
- Kate Douglass (USA) – 2:19.30, 2024
- Tatjana Schoenmaker (RSA) – 2:19.33, 2021
- Yuliya Efimova (RUS) – 2:19.41, 2013
- Rebecca Soni (USA) – 2:19.59, 2012
- Rikke Pedersen (DEN) – 2:19.61, 2014
- Yuliya Efimova (RUS) – 2:19.64, 2017
Douglass is in her first year as a pro swimmer training at the University of Virginia after breaking the NCAA record in the 200-yard breast (2:01.29) as a senior last March.
Douglass scratched out of the 200 IM — though she did time trial the event on Friday with a blistering 2:07.89 — but she’ll return to the pool later during Saturday’s session for a double in the 50 free. On Thursday, she tied Sarah Sjostrom‘s Pro Swim Series record in the 100 free (53.12) en route to a two-second victory over Gretchen Walsh (53.64), Simone Manuel (53.73), Torri Huske (53.82) , and Abbey Weitzeil (54.00).
WOMEN’S 200M BREASTSTROKE — FINAL
- World Record: Evgeniia Chikunova (RUS) – 2:17.55 (2023)
American Record: Rebecca Soni (USA) – 2:19.59 (2012)U.S Open Record: Rebecca Soni (USA) – 2:20.38 (2009)Pro Swim Series Record: Annie Lazor (USA) – 2:20.77 (2019)- OLY Trials Cut – 2:31.69
Top 8:
- Kate Douglass (NYAC) — 2:19.30 *AMERICAN and U.S. OPEN RECORD*
- Lilly King (ISC) — 2:24.34
- Mona McSharry (TENN) — 2:25.84
- Ella Nelson (UVA) — 2:26.28
- Tess Cieplucha (TNAQ) — 2:28.92
- Alexis Yager (TNAQ) — 2:29.32
- Sophie Angus (CAN) — 2:30.82
- Hannah Marinovich (CLOV) — 2:31.07
Douglass followed up her opening split of 32.01 with 35.04/35.92/36.33 splits, getting under Soni’s mark by .29 seconds.
Behind her, Lilly King posted a 2:24.34, dropping 3.49 seconds from her prelims time. King easily touched in 2nd place, with Tennessee’s own Mona McSharry taking 3rd in 2:25.84, holding off a late charge from Ella Nelson (2:26.28).
There should be relay of each stroke.
There’s already too many events as it is
The King is Dead! Long live the King! In this case, it’s Kate Douglass. Now aim for a sub 1:06 in the 100 meter breaststroke.
Now if Jacoby beats King in the 100 meter breaststroke during the spring. Oh my!
waiting for you to pull another 180 when king qualifies for paris
https://staging.swimswam.com/2023-westmont-pro-swim-series-day-4-finals-live-recap/#comment-1185050
https://staging.swimswam.com/2023-u-s-trials-day-2-finals-live-recap/#comment-1214479
You’re BACK!
And without clarifying if the 100m BR is the W 100m Breaststroke or M 100m Breaststroke. Or whether this is calendar year 2024 or we’ve entered some strange dimensional time warp.
I for one am lost.
This one wins comment of the week! Congratulations!
You are a bully! Lilly has done tremendous good for our sport. Back off.
Lilly just went 1:05 in January. There are 4 or 5 women who could take the gold in the 100 in Paris, and I see her as one of the top 3 as things sit right now.
I’m a huge fan of Lydia as well. She’s going to need PBs, and I believe she can do it.
Kate is awesome and I think she may still have enough upside to challenge Chikunova, which seemed like crazy talk not long ago. It’s a great time to be a fan, and as always, there’s no need to talk crap about anybody to elevate someone else.
King just help the team win the relay last year and probably gonna qualify for Paris too
I want to see KD time trial a SCY 200 breast at a UVA dual meet or Cavalier Invite. She’s got that sub-2:00 in her.
This has felt like a foregone conclusion for about two years now, but happy to see it happen! Congrats to KD!
I was glad she hit the final wall perfectly. That’s always the time sacrificing variable with Douglass.
I think Douglass was jolted by that recent 100 breaststroke when she trailed Haughey and others by margin. Her early pace looked much different in both breaststroke events this week.
Lilly was not smiling as the announcer rattled off all the records Douglass broke.
Always looking for drama aren’t you
I shouldn’t say I called it. But I did.
After 2023 worlds I said she could be within striking distance of the WR by Paris…
I think this progression speaks for itself.
Maybe if the record was still 2:18.95.
Great googly moogly.
Kate Douglass rules.
Beautiful stroke, very similar to Chikunova’s actually. While I still find it unlikely she will break that WR, I am now much less certain in that belief.
Chikunova is actually more efficient.
You can watch her 200 WR and her 1:04.9 100 swims.
Wait WHAT? I thought she was slow in the 100. When did she go 104.9???
2 days before breaking her 2:17.5 swim
Where’s the video for her 1:04.9?
I wouldn’t predict it. But I wouldn’t be shocked. Chikunova took nearly 3 sec off her pb when she broke the WR. Prior to the record she hadn’t been under 2:20.
Chikunova was 17 yo when she took nearly 3 seconds off her PB. Which is not unusual for female breaststrokers.
Now, if a 22 yo foreign female breaststroker suddenly takes 3 seconds off an already fast 2:19, y’all be accusing her.
Not foreign swimmers. Only Russian and Chinese because of their blatant history in the past to cheat on a systemic level. And the fact that the rest of the world believes that their ethics have changed.
I can assure you it’s not only Russian and Chinese swimmers that are targeted like this.
hosszu’s lawsuit comes to mind
I remember some readers threw thinly veiled accusations at MOC
And at Titmus and McKeon after Tokyo.
Yes, Dressel has been accused of being a drug cheat.
Obviously you rarely checked Swimswam swimming gallery.
Some readers threw accusations at MOC during and after World Championship.
Etc.
Basically for some people, if American swimmers make incredible improvement, it’s just because they’re talented and work hard
When foreign swimmers make incredible improvement, then it’s because they’re using.
Hmm, but Dressel has been accused several times here of being a drug cheat?
By whom?
I remember those TUE comments, but those were ALWAYS as a response to some people accusing foreign swimmers first.
Chikunova is very long and very efficient. She doesn’t look fast in the water at all.