Kate Douglass is a member of the star-studded USA swimming team at the Paris Olympics. Here are some tidbits about the versatile swimmer.
Background
Katherine Cadwallader Douglass was born on November 17, 2001, in Pelham, New York. She attended Pelham High School, graduating in 2019 and getting into University of Virginia.
Swimming Career
High School
Much like other swimming stars, Douglass showed immense talent while in high school. She won a bronze medal from the 400m freestyle relay at the World Junior Championships, after qualifying for the US Olympic trials at 16.
NCAA Championships
Douglass’ foray into the limelight came through her achievements in the NCAA. She is, in fact, regarded as one of the most successful swimmers in the NCAA, owing to her prolific wins throughout her college years.
She picked 1 gold medal and six silver medals in the 2021 NCAA Championships, after breaking through as one of the fastest freshmen in the 2019/2020 season. She continued racking up the medals in 2022, winning seven gold medals (three individual, four from relays).
She was named the 2022 NCAA Female Swimmer of the Year, and she received the Honda Sports Award for Swimming and Diving in the same year.
Douglass went out for her final collegiate meet in 2023, carting seven more gold medals to claim her NCAA Female Swimmer and Honda Sports Awards again. Her NCAA career is regarded as one of the greatest of all time.
Olympics
Douglass’s first major international medal came at the 2020 Olympics, where she picked a bronze medal in the 200m individual medley event. She has followed that up with two gold medals from the 200m breaststroke and 400m medley events and two silver medals from the 200m individual medley and 400m freestyle at the 2024 Olympics..
Douglass is 22 years now and stands at 178cm (5 feet 10 inches). She is particularly famous for her NCAA achievements and her versatility across swimming strokes.
Next: Olympic Gold Medalist Torri Huske: Everything You Need to Know
