Kate Douglass
Kate Douglass
Elite Clinician
Kate Douglass
Olympic Gold Medalist | 15x NCAA Champion | World Record Holder
Hometown: Pelham, New York
College: University of Virginia (UVA)
Career Highlights
Olympic Games
- 5x Olympic Medalist (2 Gold, 2 Silver, 1 Bronze)
- 2024 Paris: Gold (200m Breaststroke), Gold (4x100m Medley Relay), Silver (200m IM), Silver (4x100m Freestyle Relay)
- 2020 Tokyo: Bronze (200m IM)
NCAA Division I Standout (University of Virginia)
- 15x NCAA Champion (7 Individual Titles, 8 Relay Titles)
- 28x NCAA All-American
- Helped lead UVA to three consecutive NCAA Team Championships
- 2x CSCAA Women’s Swimmer of the Year
Records
- Current World Record Holder in the 200m Breaststroke (scm)
- Current World Record Holder in 100m Freestyle (scm)
- Current World Record Holder in 200m Individual Medley (scm)
- Holds multiple American, US Open, and NCAA Records across sprint freestyle, butterfly, and breaststroke events.
Bio
Kate Douglass is one of the most versatile and dominant swimmers in the history of the sport, possessing an unprecedented ability to shatter records across sprint freestyle, breaststroke, butterfly, and individual medley events. A native of New York, Kate took her talents to the University of Virginia, where she became the centerpiece of a historic collegiate dynasty under head coach Todd DeSorbo. During her NCAA career, she captured 15 National Championships, earned 28 All-American honors, and rewrote the American record books on her way to becoming a two-time CSCAA Swimmer of the Year.
Her historic collegiate success translated seamlessly to the world stage. A two-time Olympian, Kate captured Bronze in the 200m IM in Tokyo before cementing her superstar status at the 2024 Paris Games, where she won four medals, including individual Gold in the 200m Breaststroke. Known for her analytical approach to the sport—having even worked with a university mathematics professor to optimize her stroke mechanics and efficiency—Kate combines high-level attention to detail with an unwavering team-first mentality. She brings a refreshing honesty about the daily grind of the sport and an elite understanding of what it takes to succeed at the absolute highest level.
From the Clinician
Embracing the Uncomfortable
“Honestly, there are a lot of times, even today there are some days in practice, where I’m like, ‘Wow I hate this so much. This is so hard. My body feels horrible. I’m sore. I’m tired. Why am I doing this to myself?’ But then I kind of remember the bigger picture. When I was younger it was hard to understand why my body was hurting so much, and if that was a good thing or not. But now I’ve come to realize that being uncomfortable in practice is really the only way you’re going to get better, and so I’ve started to figure out ways to like that uncomfortable feeling a little bit more.”
The Power of the Team
“I think just being a part of a college team was just a great experience for me, and I feel like I was around a lot of girls who had the same goals as me. It was nice to have one common goal as a team of winning a national championship, and so I feel like the girls I was surrounded with just really helped push me and motivate me. I think that really helped me figure out why I love swimming, if I wanted to keep doing it, and just kind of figured out how to love the everyday grind.”
Short-Term Goals & Enjoying the Process
“I feel like what’s important to me is focusing on just kind of how to enjoy myself and make sure I’m still enjoying swimming throughout the year. I like to set a lot of short-term goals for myself. I think it’s kind of healthy for me to not really think that far ahead and make goals for myself yet, but instead just focus on what’s right in front of me.”
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