Kate Douglass Misses World Record in 100 Free By .01; Team USA Clips National Record

2026 PAN PACIFIC CHAMPIONSHIPS

Women’s 4×100 Freestyle Relay — Final

• World Record: 3:27.96, Australia — 2023
• U.S. Open Record: 3:35.11, United States — 2010
• Pan Pac Championship Record: 3:31.58, Australia — 2018

Results

1. United States (Douglass, Walsh, Huske, Manuel) — 3:29.32 **New Championship and U.S. Open Record
2. Australia (Harris, Perkins, Jansen, Wunsch) — 3:31.11
3. Canada (Ruck, Harvey, Tigert, Fack) — 3:36.44
4. New Zealand — 3:38.38
5. Japan — 3:40.07
6. Canada 2 — 3:40.80
7. South Africa — 3:50.92

Kate Douglass missed the World Record in the 100 free by .01 seconds, and the Americans picked up a pair of American Records in the women’s 400 free relay final on Friday.

The 24 year old led off the relay in an incredible 51.69, a hundredth off Marrit Steenbergen’s freshly minted world record set at the Sette Colli in late June. While Douglass, who is the reigning Olympic Champion in the 200 breast, just missed the all time mark, she did take down the American record. That standard belonged to her teammate Anna Moesch and was set just two weeks ago at US Nationals in this same pool. At that meet, Douglass time trialed a 51.93 in this event to become the 5th swimmer in history to break the elusive 52 barrier.

Douglass has always been elite in the 100 free, and came into these Pan Pacific Championships with two 51 splits already on her resume: she dropped a 51.9 split on Team USA’s 400 free relay in Singapore last summer and owns a 51.79 split from the 2023 World Championships, where she anchored the Americans’ 400 mixed medley relay. However, it is clear that the Virginia Cavalier has kicked her sprint freestyle into another gear: in June, she broke Sarah Sjostrom’s world record in the 50 free (before her teammate Gretchen Walsh lowered it further just 9 days later), then threw down a 51.01 split two nights ago to anchor the United States to a world record in the 400 mixed medley relay. Despite that split, she opted to swim the 100 breast over the 100 free individually, and ended up finishing off the podium. Meg Harris, who claimed the 100 free title, won the event in a time of 52.60.

On the other side of the world, Steenbergen won the individual 100 free in a time of 51.90 and contributed two of the fastest 100 free relay splits in history at 50.74 and 50.87. Cate Campbell is the only other swimmer in history to have broken 51 on a flying start, as she posted a 50.93 back at the 2018 Pan Pac Champs.

Split Comparison – 100 Free

While Douglass won’t have the opportunity to swim the event again this season, she will take on a tough triple with the 50 free and 200 breast, and medley relay tomorrow night.

Top 10 Performances (All Time):

1. Marrit Steenbergen (NED): 51.68 – 2026 Sette Colli
2. Kate Douglass (USA): 51.69 – 2026 Pan Pacific Championships
3. Sarah Sjostrom (SWE): 51.71 – 2017 World Champs
4. Marrit Steenbergen (NED): 51.82 – 2026 European Swimming Trials (50m)
5. Marrit Steenbergen (NED): 51.86 – 2026 Mare Nostrum Canet (50m)
6. Anna Moesch (USA): 51.88 – 2026 Toyota National Championships
7. Marrit Steenbergen (NED): 51.90 – 2026 European Championships
8. Kate Douglass (USA): 51.93 – 2026 Toyota National Championships – Time Trials
9. Anna Moesch (USA): 51.94 – 2026 AP Race London International
10. Emma McKeon (AUS): 51.96 – 2020 Olympic Games

Thanks to Douglass’ monster opening leg, the Americans were also able to take down the National Record in the relay. The previous record comes from their silver medal winning performance at the 2024 Olympic Games, where they finished behind the Australians. Tonight’s win is significant because it marks the first time the American women have beat the Aussies in a 400 free relay since the 2017 World Championships.

Relay Split Comparison (Vs. Prev AR)

Both American Record squads featured the same four swimmers, and in the same order. Douglass and Walsh were both faster than their 2024 times, Manuel equaled her split, and Huske was around seven tenths slower. Due to the selection procedures of the Pan Pacific Championships, former American record holder Anna Moesch was not eligible for this meet. However, her 51.88 flat start indicates that this relay could be even faster and has the potential to threaten Australia’s incredible world record from 2023.

Relay Split Comparison (Vs. Australia’s WR)

Top 5 400 Free Relay Performances in History

1. Australia: 3:27.96 — 2023 World Champs (O’Callaghan, Jack, Harris, McKeon)

2. Australia:  3:28.92 — 2024 Olympic Games (O’Callaghan, Jack, McKeon, Harris)

3. USA: 3:29.32 — 2026 Pan Pacific Championships (Douglass, G. Walsh, Huske, Manuel)

4. Australia — 3:29.69 — 2020 Olympic Games (B. Campbell, Harris, McKeon, C. Campbell)

5. Australia — 3:30.05 — 2018 Commonwealth Games (Jack, B. Campbell, McKeon, C. Campbell)