“It was a lot of fun. This is something I’ve never really done before.” Just a few minutes after securing her 11th gold medal at the 2024 Swimming World Cup, Kate Douglass expressed her emotions through those words. In the last two weeks, she played with the records at will in the short course events. Meanwhile, she established herself as the last woman standing in the 200m breaststroke, shaving almost 2 seconds from the previous world record in the event.

And the catch is that in the meantime, she decimated American records in the events like 50m fly, 100m free, and 100m individual medley. A superhuman effort! But do you know that Douglass had to make a few harsh decisions before climbing up to this level?Before winning the overall championship title in the 2024 Swimming World Cup, the 22-year-old had her moments in Paris. But in the meantime, she had to take a few calls. Why? Let’s explore the facts. 

Kate Douglass has to measure the factors before calling her chips 

Since the Tokyo Olympics, Kate Douglass has been counted among the blue-eyed swimming talents in Team USA. In the last three years, she hasn’t missed many global swimming contests. Rather, her entry in multiple events has extended Team USA’s fortune in the medal tally. In the Paris Olympics as well, Kate had the responsibility to win medals in both individual and relay events. And she didn’t disappoint. In the full-packed Paris La Défense Arena, Douglass claimed four medals in her four events. Two of those came as gold and record setters in the pool. But she had another event where she could have continued her success. However, she scratched out. Reason? In her conversation with the Unfiltered Waters Podcast, the Pelham native claimed, “Unfortunately, I feel like it wasn’t worth the risk of being tired.” But why did she have to avoid the tiredness that made her miss the women’s 100m free event? 

Yes, in Paris, Kate Douglass was scheduled to compete in the 100m freestyle event, a discipline she has consistently excelled in. During the US swimming trials, she showcased her prowess by defeating Gretchen Walsh to secure the top spot. However, she chose to forgo the opportunity to win a fifth medal in Paris. Douglass explained that she wanted to conserve her energy for the “more important” 200m breaststroke event, where she aimed to take on the challenges posed by Tatjana Smith and Regan Smith directly on the Olympic stage. This decision undoubtedly required Douglass to be at her best in the pool, but it wasn’t an easy choice for her to make.

Per Kate Douglass, a lot of brainstorming had to be invested to come to the final decision. “That was a really hard decision but I kind of felt like I was leaning towards not doing it kind of the whole time but it just was hard to like finally decide,” she disclosed on the subject. She also took coach Todd DeSorbo’s name for helping her out in choosing the right path. And the outcome was phenomenal. In the 200m breaststroke event, Kate earned her gold medal, toppling the barriers. That ticks a box for sure. So now, it is all about embarking on a new journey from here. Does she set her mind on that? Will she try the 100m free event in the next Olympics? The response is blurred. 

A road of complete uncertainty lies ahead

During the second stop of the 2024 World Aquatics Swimming World Cup Series, Kate Douglass did something unbelievable. She uprooted Rebecca Soni’s 15-year-old short-course swimming record in the 200m breaststroke event. But that was not all. In the next week, she upgraded her own record and set it as 2:12:72. In 21, brave acts like these feel normal for her. Or such acts suit her fitness level. But Kate is not sure about how long this sweet bonding will continue. Ultimately, that will decide her fate of participation in the LA Olympics. 

A further clarification came in the People I (Mostly) Admire podcast. There in the show, she told Steven Levitt, “I would love to be able to swim until 2028 if my body allows me. Four years, it’s a long time, especially with swimming. It takes a huge toll on your body. I’m going to keep swimming this year. I’ll probably swim next year, but I don’t know what’s going to happen. My mind might change.” That answer paved the way for lots of ifs and buts. But Kate had nothing to add except this, regarding her swimming future. However, she did not put water on the hope completely and kept her chance as,”50/50.” Her fans will have to wait now to spot any change in this mindset.