Kate Douglass, Nic Fink included in USA's contingent for World Aquatics Championships 2024, Katie Grimes misses out
Kate Douglass and Nic Fink will lead the U.S. team at the upcoming 2024 World Aquatics Championships, as announced by USA Swimming. The tournament is scheduled to take place in Doha from February 2 to February 18, 2024.
Douglass has won a total of nine medals in the history of the World Championships, with two golds in the 200m medley, and 4×100 m medley events. Meanwhile, Fink, who specializes in breaststroke events, is a seven-time medalist at the Worlds.
The four-time medalist at the World Championships’ Katie Grimes, initially featured in the list but isn't a part of the latest squad now. The USA's youngest member from the Tokyo Olympics 2020 team, Grimes was scheduled to head the USA’s challenge in five events. They are women’s 400m individual medley, 400m and 1500m freestyle, 200m backstroke, and 200m butterfly events.
Claire Weinstein and Will Galant, who were present in the initial lineup, also won’t be in action at the 21st edition. Weinstein was a key member of the women’s 4×200m freestyle squad that won gold at the 2022 World Championships. She was set to swim in the women’s 200m, 400m, and 800m freestyle. While Galant was set to compete in the men’s 800m and 1500m freestyle events.
SwimSwam, an American-based news organization that covers competitive swimming, reported the news on their website. The United States’ initial squad had five female swimmers, and 13 male swimmers. But, in the newly updated squad, the women’s side has seven, while the men’s team comprises 12 swimmers.
The swimmers who have been included in the list are Lilla Bognar, Kayla Han, Kate Hurst, and Addison Sauickie in the women’s events. No new names have been added to the men’s squad.
Han, Hurst, and Sauickie clinched the gold medals in the 800m, 1500m, and 200m freestyle at the 2023 World Aquatics Junior Swimming Championships. Bognar came in fourth in the 400m individual medley at the junior championships.
Kate Douglass attains fourth best-ever time in the 200m breaststroke at the Pro Swim Series 2024 in Knoxville
At the Pro Swim Series 2024 in Knoxville, Kate Douglass recorded the fourth best-ever timing in the women’s 200m breaststroke event. She created a new American record with a time of 2:19.30 by surpassing former Rebecca Soni’s 11-year-old record from the 2012 London Olympics. She also broke Soni's US Open record of 2:20.38 set in 2009.
With this, Kate Douglass became the fourth quickest swimmer in the 200m breaststroke event in the best time chart. Russia’s Evgeniia Chikunova presently holds the top spot, clocking 2:17.55 in 2023.
Meanwhile, another Russian Tatjana Schoenmaker, and Denmark’s Rikke Pedersen occupy the second and third spots respectively with timings of 2:18.95 in 2021 and 2:19.11 in 2013.