Kate Douglass Wins Gold in Women’s 200m Breaststroke at the Olympics

On Thursday night, American swimmer Kate Douglass really made waves at the Olympics by taking home the gold medal in the women’s 200-meter breaststroke. Douglass finished the race in an impressive time of 2:19.24, breaking her own American record set earlier this year.

Right behind her was South Africa‘s Tatjana Smith, who secured the silver medal with a strong finish at 2:19.60. Meanwhile, Tes Schouten from the Netherlands earned the bronze medal after clocking in at 2:21.05.

Douglass got off to a fantastic start and quickly pulled ahead of Smith, thanks to her powerful turns. As they entered the third lap, Smith began to close the gap, but Douglass found her rhythm again and outpaced Smith in the final stretch to clinch the Olympic gold.

This moment marks Douglass’ first Olympic gold medal. She also previously earned a silver medal in the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay earlier at these Games. Douglass still has one more individual race coming up—the 200m individual medley, where she had previously won a bronze medal at Tokyo.

Smith, for her part, celebrated her second medal, having already brought home gold in the 100m breaststroke. Schouten made history as only the second swimmer from the Netherlands to reach an Olympic final in the 200m breaststroke, making her first Olympic medal even more special.

This race also marked the last individual event for veteran swimmer Lilly King, a three-time Team USA Olympian, who finished in eighth place. King has announced she won’t be aiming for another Olympic appearance in the future.

After the race, King made a heartfelt gesture by crossing over lanes to hug Douglass, showcasing the camaraderie among the athletes.

Douglass’ gold adds to the impressive medal tally for American swimmers, who have claimed four golds, along with a stunning 11 silvers and six bronzes in these Games. Just the day before, American star Katie Ledecky swam her way to victory in the 1,500-meter freestyle, marking her 12th Olympic medal in women’s swimming.

Douglass, who previously shined at the University of Virginia as an NCAA champion swimmer, has truly made her mark in swimming so far at these Olympics.