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Kate Douglass Wins 200 Breaststroke in 2:19.95, Alex Walsh Swims Best Time 2:22.87

2024 NCAP ELITE QUALIFIER

Kate Douglass swam her 3rd fastest 200 breaststroke of the season with a 2:19.95 to win the event in Virginia today. Alex Walsh finished behind her in a 2:22.87 to now be the #2 American in the event this season only behind Douglass.

Douglass posted a 2:22.77 this morning which added to her tally as she has now posted the top 6 times from the US women so far this season. Douglass looks to make the Olympic team in the event after not swimming the event at 2021 Wave II Trials. She swam at the 2020 Tokyo Games as she won bronze in the 200 IM.

Walsh improves upon her previous best time of a 2:25.25 that she swam at the NCAP Qualifier a year ago. After not swimming the event at 2023 US Summer Nationals, Walsh has already announced her US Olympic Trials lineup which includes the event. Her old season best in the event (2:25.39) stood as the #4 American this season.

TOP SWIMS US WOMEN’S 200 BREAST – 2023-2024

  1. Kate Douglass, 2:19.30 Pro Swim Knoxville- Finals
  2. Kate Douglass, 2:19.89 Pro Swim San Antonio
  3. Kate Douglass, 2:19.95 NCAP Finals
  4. Kate Douglass, 2:20.91 2024 Worlds- Finals
  5. Kate Douglass, 2:21.87 2023 US Open
  6. Kate Douglass, 2:22.77 NCAP Prelims
  7. Alex Walsh, 2:22.87 NCAP Finals
  8. Kate Douglass, 2:23.04 Pro Series Knoxville (Prelims)
  9. Kate Douglass, 2:23.17 2024 Worlds- Semifinals
  10. Lilly King, 2:23.27 Spring Sectionals

In addition to Douglass and Walsh, Ella Nelson also swam a season best time. Nelson swam to a 2:24.07, faster than her old season best of a 2:25.34. As Walsh passed Nelson tonight, she moves from the 3rd to the 4th fastest American in the event this season.

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Aragon Son of Arathorne
5 months ago

Do not sleep on King with her pedigree and ability to taper. Walsh will need the race of her life to beat Lilly. Nice time for Ella Nelson.

Weinstein-Smith-Ledecky-Sims
Reply to  Aragon Son of Arathorne
5 months ago

If Lilly King finishes top two in the W 100 BR, she will be playing with house money in the W 200 BR.

2024 Olympic Team Trials
W 100 BR
King, Lilly
Jacoby, Lydia
Dobler, Kaitlyn

Lisa
Reply to  Weinstein-Smith-Ledecky-Sims
5 months ago

Yeah and I still think King has a good shot to qualify in both events and it’s gonna be a race in both events like this is one of the most important meets of the year and all she needs
to do is finished top two especially in 100 breast like you mentioned above.

Emily
5 months ago

Wow this is so cool because I was at this meet

Swimfan27
5 months ago

I knew Alex Walsh would come to play in the 200 breast

I miss the ISL (go dawgs)
5 months ago

Idk if we can say Lilly has “Indiana” on her side, since it’s not at IUPUI. I made this comment already, but it’s a brand new pool she’s never swam at, and I think the “home field advantage” the Indiana fans could bring at IUPUI isnt gonna show up much in such a big stadium with a lot more other fans. I still think Lilly will squeak by Alex in the 200, but idk if we can say it’s just because she’s gonna be in Indiana. She’s gonna have to have a perfect taper, because Alex has always tapered very well.

Summer in Paris
5 months ago

Why didn’t Swimswam think Douglas is a lock to make Olympic team?

Weinstein-Smith-Ledecky-Sims
Reply to  Summer in Paris
5 months ago

Top four in the 100 FR automatically qualify for the Summer Olympics:

W 100 FR (alphabetical order)
Douglass, Kate
Huske, Torri
Manuel, Simone
Walsh, Gretchen

The top four is a no brainer. I’ll repeat, a no brainer.

5th – Weitzeil, Abbey
6th – ??????

Buttafly
Reply to  Summer in Paris
5 months ago

Who knows

Last edited 5 months ago by Buttafly
1650 Onetrick
Reply to  Summer in Paris
5 months ago

For each of her events, I can see an outcome where she doesn’t make the team, although they’re not very likely, so I see where swimswam is coming from

imo the odds of all of those events not going her way are astronomically low tho

oxyswim
Reply to  1650 Onetrick
5 months ago

It was just 2 people in the podcast and not every swimswam writer chiming in, but they had Lilly King in a tier above Douglass which is insane and undermines your point about setting an outcome where she doesn’t make the team because that’s more feasible for Lilly.

Douglass is favored over her in their overlapping event, she’s a big favorite to be top 2 in the IM, and even if she doesn’t drop any time from in-season swims (not including Doha), she’d still be top 6 in the 100 FR. Meanwhile Lilly has Alex lurking in the 200, and has to deal with Jacoby in the 100 with a potential challenge from Dobler as well.

Weinstein-Smith-Ledecky-Sims
Reply to  oxyswim
5 months ago

There is little evidence to date during calendar year 2024 that Abbey Weitzeil could beat Kate Douglass in the W 100 FR. Kate Douglass is practically guaranteed top four in the W 100 FR.

Weinstein-Smith-Ledecky-Sims
Reply to  1650 Onetrick
5 months ago

I don’t, especially the 200 BR and 200 IM.

Steve Nolan
Reply to  Summer in Paris
5 months ago

I can’t believe this keeps coming up.

Yikes
Reply to  Summer in Paris
5 months ago

Thats not really what they said. The one employee of swimswam who didn’t include her immediately stated in the comments that he should have. It’s now become wayyyy overblown.

Aragon Son of Arathorne
Reply to  Summer in Paris
5 months ago

maybe because King can do big things under pressure. She’s done it before. Who knows.

Lisa
Reply to  Aragon Son of Arathorne
5 months ago

Agreed and has she ever underperformed at trials and not qualified for world championship or Olympics cause it’s never happened before and the reason people doubt her right now is because her in season times and someone faster than her .

Last edited 5 months ago by Lisa
Jonathan
5 months ago

I’m starting to think that Lilly King might not make the Olympic team.

mcswammerstein
Reply to  Jonathan
5 months ago

been thinking that for about 3 years. i will never understand why she shifted so much focus to the 200 when she was so dominant in the 50-100, it has hurt her career

The unoriginal Tim
Reply to  mcswammerstein
5 months ago

Agreed. She should have stuck to 50/100 like Peaty. Sprint breastroke is now a world apart from what is needed in the 200.

Weinstein-Smith-Ledecky-Sims
Reply to  Jonathan
5 months ago

Alex Walsh is not beating Lilly King in the W 100 BR. Kate Douglass has yet declare her intentions to swim the W 100 BR (W 100 FR, W 200 BR, W 200 IM). Kaitlyn Dobler has done nothing in calendar year 2024 that leads one to believe she could beat Lilly King in the W 100 BR.

Sub13
Reply to  Jonathan
5 months ago

It’s funny that Cate Campbell and Lilly King both said “see you in Paris” during their little feud and neither of them might be there lol

Andy
Reply to  Sub13
5 months ago

With Madi Wilson no longer swimming and Bronte seemingly injured, I can’t see a scenario where Cate doesn’t sneak into top 6 and grab a relay spot

Dakotamug
Reply to  Sub13
5 months ago

They will go as a spectators

Lisa
Reply to  Sub13
5 months ago

Yeah but I’m not gonna be surprised if somehow they’re both make it and they’re older and has more experience and knows what it takes to make the team especially Cate on the relay and King on 100 breast.

Last edited 5 months ago by Lisa
Steve Nolan
5 months ago

Seems like the swimmers themselves know what events to pick better than we do. Idk, just a hunch.

Weinstein-Smith-Ledecky-Sims
Reply to  Steve Nolan
5 months ago

There no evidence to date that Alex Walsh could beat Lydia Jacoby and Lilly King in the W 100 BR.

Sub13
5 months ago

Douglass looking very good. Interested to see her 200IM tomorrow.

Will admit AWalsh was better than I expected in the 200 breast but I still don’t see her qualifying in either breast event. She will qualify in 200IM. I think people are overestimating Huske and underestimating AWalsh.

GWalsh times are decent but considering many claimed she was in “heavy training” when she set her PBs last month, this kind of suggests she wasn’t and we may not see her drop much off her PBs at trials

RMS
Reply to  Sub13
5 months ago

Huske has literally been improving and staying consistent all season. She’s already beaten Alex in the IM once this season. Alex is going to have to swim a very good race at trials for that second spot.

Sub13
Reply to  RMS
5 months ago

She beat Walsh by a couple of tenths when Walsh was more than a second off her best. For Huske to win she’ll have to drop at least a second AND Walsh will need to be off. I don’t see it. And trust me I would much prefer Huske to qualify

Yikes
Reply to  Sub13
5 months ago

Curious: why do you prefer Huske?

peabrain
Reply to  Yikes
5 months ago

yeah what kind of comment is that 🤨

Summer in Paris
Reply to  Yikes
5 months ago

So you don’t have any favorite swimmer to qualify for Paris AT ALL?

Yikes
Reply to  Summer in Paris
5 months ago

Haha it’s not that serious, of course we all do, and I am just curious why. This person is Australian, so I’m wondering if it’s because Walsh has a higher ceiling and could be more of a threat to McKeown? Just genuinely curious

Weinstein-Smith-Ledecky-Sims
Reply to  Yikes
5 months ago

Of course, it’s an ulterior motive.

Weinstein-Smith-Ledecky-Sims
Reply to  Summer in Paris
5 months ago

On an event by event basis, I have plenty of favorite swimmers:

Douglass, Kate – 100 FR, 200 BR, 200 IM
Huske, Torri – 100 FL
Jacoby, Lydia – 100 BR
Ledecky, Katie – 400 FR, 800 FR, 1500 FR
Manuel, Simone – 50 FR, 100 FR
Smith, Regan – 100 BK, 200 BK, 200 FL

I definitely want Douglass and Manuel to finish one-two in the W 100 FR at the 2024 Olympic Team Trials.

As for the W 4 x 200 FR-R, there is Ledecky’s crew:

comment image

Sub13
Reply to  Yikes
5 months ago

Huske, Smith and Sullivan are my three favourite US swimmers

Yikes
Reply to  Sub13
5 months ago

Gotcha!

rx sneakers
Reply to  Yikes
5 months ago

Because he’s built his entire internet personality around saying things like “Walsh is a bathtub swimmer” and now he’s getting nervous that she might actually be good.

Weinstein-Smith-Ledecky-Sims
Reply to  rx sneakers
5 months ago

Alex Walsh has always been competitive in the 200 IM. Last summer, Alex Walsh proved she can be competitive in the 400 IM. Yesterday, Alex Walsh finally bust out with a worthy performance in the 200 BR. As for the 100 BR, Alex Walsh should leave it up to the professionals.

Troyy
Reply to  rx sneakers
5 months ago

The comment is about A Walsh who no one called a bathtub swimmer.

Sub13
Reply to  rx sneakers
5 months ago

Literally never said that. She’s an Olympic silver medallist and individual world champion.

Find one comment where I said Alex Walsh is a bathtub swimmer who can’t compete in LCM and I’ll log off forever. You won’t because you can’t and you just lied.

If I thought Walsh was a bathtub swimmer why would I emphatically say she’s going to qualify? Lol some people just love to make up narratives in their head that people are out to get them.

Considering this is your first ever comment on the site but you seem to think you know all about my history seems like this is an alt of one of my fans who are obsessed with me hahaha

Last edited 5 months ago by Sub13
Yikes
Reply to  RMS
5 months ago

Huske has been looking great and has some momentum going, but she’ll have to find another full second to match Alex’s season best, a second and a half to match her lifetime best. That’s kind of a tall order in such a short amount of time.

Weinstein-Smith-Ledecky-Sims
Reply to  Yikes
5 months ago

Meanwhile, Abbey Weitzeil looks vulnerable in the W 50 FR. Torri Huske may want to reprioritize her events.

About Braden Keith

Braden Keith

Braden Keith is the Editor-in-Chief and a co-founder/co-owner of SwimSwam.com. He first got his feet wet by building The Swimmers' Circle beginning in January 2010, and now comes to SwimSwam to use that experience and help build a new leader in the sport of swimming. Aside from his life on the InterWet, …

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