Regan Smith is in awe of Kate Douglass' performance at the Swimming World Cup [Image Source : Getty]

Regan Smith sends a one-word message to Kate Douglas for her achievements at the Swimming World Cup in Shanghai

Modified Oct 21, 2024 02:39 GMT

Olympic champion swimmer Regan Smith was in awe of teammate Kate Douglass' performance at the World Aquatics' Swimming World Cup in Shanghai. The 22-year-old swimmer expressed her reaction by posting her thoughts on Instagram.

In her Instagram story, Smith dropped a one-word reaction to Douglass' achievements at the Swimming World Cup. She wrote,

"Slay @kaatedouglass"

Screengrab of Regan Smith's Instagram Story [Image Source : Regan Smith's Instagram]

Douglass, in return, chose to repost Smith's story on her IG handle. The two swimmers were key factors in winning the gold medal in the women's 4x100m medley event at the Paris Olympics 2024.

Both swimmers were also in the fray for the top spot at the Swimming World Cup in Shanghai, which took place from October 18 to October 20. They created new American records in the 100m backstroke and the 50m butterfly events, respectively.

Regan Smith lost the top spot to Kate Douglass by 0.1 points. The American swimmer stood second overall with 59 points. Siobhan Bernadette Haughey of Hong Kong stood third with 53.2 points overall. Smith won the women's 200m butterfly and the 200m backstroke events at the Swimming World Cup.

Smith also finished second in the 50m backstroke event. The 22-year-old also qualified for the finals of the 100m butterfly event but eventually chose not to participate in it.

Kate Douglass's performances at the World Cup in Shanghai

Kate Douglass in action [Image for Representational Purposes] [Image Source : Getty]

Shanghai Swimming World Cup was Kate Douglass's first major tournament after the Paris Olympics. The 22-year-old swimmer had won a total of four medals, including two Olympic gold medals in women's 4x100m medley and women's 200m breaststroke.

Douglass didn't disappoint at the Shanghai World Cup either. In the three-day tournament held in Shanghai, the American swimmer topped the charts, edging out her compatriot Regan Smith by 0.1 points. The American swimmer accumulated a total of 59.1 points to finish at the top of the table.

Douglass won four gold medals in the women's 50m butterfly, 200m breaststroke, 100m individual medley, and 200m individual medley events, respectively. With a timing of 24.54 seconds, Douglass broke the two-year-old American record in the 50m butterfly event.

Interestingly, this wasn't the only record Kate Douglass had broken at the Swimming World Cup in Shanghai. A day before, Douglass had won the 100m individual medley event, breaking the American record in the finals.

In the preliminaries, she was tied with Beata Nelson at 57.72 before she clocked 56.99 seconds to lower the record further. With this achievement, Douglass is now the first American woman to break the 57-second threshold in the 100m individual medley event.