Kate Douglass on her multi-event approach and learning to the love the 200m medley: "It's the hardest race I swim."
The 22-year-old American is the reigning world champion in the 200m IM and knows she faces stiff competition from the Australians and more ahead of Paris 2024. She spoke exclusively to Olympics.com.
There was a time, a few years ago, that American swimmer Kate Douglass would dread the event many consider her strongest: the 200m individual medley (IM).
“It's the hardest race I swim,” admits Douglass, 22. “I used to struggle with it; it stressed me out a lot [and] I would get really scared before doing it.”
At Tokyo 2020 in 2021, Douglass would breathe a sigh of relief, winning Olympic bronze in the event.
But, perhaps more importantly, she stepped away from it for nearly a year thereafter, like a relationship that needed a healthy 'break': “I think that helped give me a good reset,” she explained. “I got excited for training it last year.”
In 2023, Douglass won the world 200m IM title in a strong women’s field, earning her a first individual world title, and setting her up for Olympic year as one of the favourites for the podium at Paris 2024.
It also helped further a mentality that hard work and success in the present can help to build a legacy, and the chance to be a swimmer who many around the world look up to. It's a notion Douglass buys into.
“When I finally realised I could leave a legacy in the sport, I started to really get more motivated,” she told Olympics.com. “And that helped me start to enjoy it more, because being motivated helped me [to] improve a lot. And I feel like that's because I realised I am capable of leaving a legacy.”
Kate Douglass' multi-event CV: 'It's unique'
Part of that legacy that Douglass continues to build on includes her cross-event prowess, having found successes across the IM, freestyle, breaststroke and butterfly.
After initially being signed up for six individual events at the 2024 Doha World Aquatics Championships, Douglass opted to swim four of them - still a far heavier workload than most of the athletes on the world stage.
But it’s another part of what makes her tick.
“It's definitely fun... [and] I think that it makes training more exciting,” said Douglass, who had a hugely successful collegiate career at the University of Virginia (UVA).
“And it allows me to switch up training a lot and have different things to look forward to at practice, which is nice. It's fun to switch my mindset for different races throughout a meet.”
The World Championships are trial runs – she hopes – for Paris, where Douglass could be one of the busiest athletes in the Olympic pool. For a statistics major who has big plans for her post-swimming career, it’s a juggling act that is perhaps part of the equation that makes her so strong across a myriad of disciplines.
“It's definitely a unique thing and not something that everyone understands,” she admits about her 'more races the better' approach.
A big part of what has helped her to hone a busier-than-most meet schedule is her time at UVA, leading the squad to three NCAA national team titles (2021-23) and raking in no fewer than 15 individual golds.
“[UVA] helped me not get burnt out in the water,” she said. “I guess [more to] get excited to get in every day and not like, dread it.”
Kate Douglass sets sights on Paris 2024
Last year in Fukuoka and this year in Doha (though among a weaker Worlds field), Douglass has played a big role for the U.S. women’s relay effort. They won gold in the 4x100m medley in Japan, but had to settle for silver in the 4x100m freestyle.
She also had to settle for silver in the 4x100m mixed free, and bronze in the 4x100m mixed medley.
A re-invigorated Australian programme beat them in all three of those three relays although they themselves were pipped by People’s Republic of China in the 4x100m mixed medley.
Douglass says she and the rest of her Team USA counterparts are quite aware of how much Australia has come on in the last cycle, from Tokyo onwards.
“I think it's great that we have this rivalry,” Douglass told reporters in Doha. “Being able to race against all of them last summer [at Worlds] was super fun, and it's nice to have some really good competition in relays.
“And it makes things more exciting. I think it makes all of us just more excited in practice every day, and more excited to just get up and race against each other.”
It is set to be a year of USA vs Australia in the pool, representing a challenge to Douglass' multi-event approach and her hope of building a growing legacy at the biggest events in the world.
Despite its comparative lack of depth, Douglass is using Doha as a testing ground for Paris. Event after event after event (after event).
“The more I race, the more I do all of these doubles [and] it takes the nerves away and gets me prepared,” she says. “Hopefully I'll be more relaxed [at the Olympics] if I have to do a line-up like this.
“This is getting me ready for [Olympic] Trials and hopefully Paris.”