WASHINGTON – Kate Douglass clocked an American record of 2min 19.30s to win the women’s 200m breaststroke on Saturday as the Pro Swim Series meet in Knoxville, Tenn., came to an end.
Douglass, who won gold in the 200m medley at last year’s world championships in Fukuoka, obliterated the previous American record of 2:19.59 set by Rebecca Soni when she won Olympic gold in 2012.
Douglass cut 1.92 seconds off her personal best to become the fourth fastest player of all time.
Russia’s Evgeniia Chikunova tops that list with a world record of 2:17.55 from last April.
Canada’s Summer McIntosh grabbed her third win of the week as she edged past American Alex Walsh in the final freestyle to win the 200m individual medley in 2:07.16.
Walsh took the lead from McIntosh in the penultimate breaststroke but was unable to hold off the Canadian teenager, who also won the 200m butterfly and 200m freestyle this week.
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Katie Ledecky, who was eyeing her fourth straight 800m freestyle Olympic gold in Paris this year, closed out the week with a dominant win.
The American freestyle great, who won the 1500m and 400m free in Knoxville, clocked 8:14.97 to win the 800m by more than 12 seconds.
Paige Madden was second in a personal best 8:27.44, ahead of Jillian Cox who took third in 8:28.00.
Austria’s Felix Auboeck capped off his strong week by winning the 800m free in 7:51.96. Belgium’s Lucas Henveaux was second in a personal best of 7:55.64.
Auboeck recorded his third win of the week after victories in the 200m and 400m freestyle. He was second in the 1500 m freestyle.
