For as long as Kate Douglass has been swimming, she’s been known for her versatility and her unconventional event lineups — specifically, her ability to excel in both sprint freestyle and breaststroke. But after winning the 100 freestyle, 200 breaststroke, and 200 individual medley at the 2024 U.S. Olympic trials, she truly entered rarified territory.
Douglass is now the second American (and first American woman) in history to qualify for a single Olympics in both a breaststroke and another non-individual medley event, with the first being Michael Andrew — who made the 2021 U.S. Olympic team in the 50 free, 100 breast, and 200 IM. In addition, she is also the ninth American to qualify for a single Olympics in both a breaststroke and a non-breaststroke event.
Note: Jessica Hardy won the 100 breast and placed second in the 50 free at the 2008 U.S. Olympic trials, but was removed from the U.S. Olympic team that year because she tested positive for the banned substance clenbuterol.
But here’s where things get even more unprecedented. Douglass is not only the second American to make an Olympics individually in a breaststroke and another non-IM event, but she’s first American swimmer to win both kinds of events at an Olympic trials meet — Andrew finished second in the 50 free in 2021. In addition, Douglass is the second swimmer in U.S. Olympic trials history to win a breaststroke and a non-breaststroke event at one meet, with Tracy Caulkins being the first to do so in 1984 and 1980.
List Of U.S. Olympic Individual Qualifiers In Both Breaststroke And Non-Breaststroke Events:
| Swimmer | Olympic Trials Results |
| Kate Douglass | 1st in 100 free/200 IM/200 breast (2024) |
| Michael Andrew | 1st in 200 IM/100 breast, 2nd in 50 free (2021) |
| Amanda Beard | 1st in 100/200 breast, 2nd in 200 IM (2004) |
| Tom Wilkens | 2nd in 200 breast/200 IM (2000) |
| Kristine Quance | 2nd in 100 breast/200 IM (1996) |
| Steve Lundquist | 1st in 200 IM, 2nd in 100 breast (1984) |
| Tracy Caulkins | 1st in 100 breast/200 IM/400 IM (1984), 1st in 100 breast/200 breast/200 IM/400 IM (1980)* |
| Bill Barrett | 1st in 200 IM, 2nd in 100 breast (1980)* |
| Lynn Vidali | 1st in 200 IM, 2nd in 100 breast, 3rd in 400 IM (1972)** |
*The United States ended up not sending an Olympic team to the 1980 Games in boycott of host nation Soviet Union
**The two per-nation limit in individual events was not instituted until 1984
For casual sports fans, the singling out of the breaststroke discipline might seem like an attempt to cherry-pick statistics. But historically in swimming, breaststrokers tend to specialize in one stroke more often than other swimmers due to the unique nature of breaststroke, making it more extraordinary when a swimmer is capable of being elite in both breaststroke and another discipline.
To put things in perspective, since 2012, there have been 12 different U.S. Olympic individual qualifiers across multiple non-breaststroke disciplines for a single Games (freestyle, backstroke, individual medley, butterfly) — Michael Phelps, Caeleb Dressel, Regan Smith, Maya DiRado, Ryan Lochte, Missy Franklin, Tyler Clary, Torri Huske, Hali Flickinger, Katie Grimes, Gretchen Walsh and Elizabeth Beisel. That’s more than the amount of Americans who have made the Olympics individually in both breaststroke and another discipline in swimming’s entire 128-year history at the Olympic Games. Singling out non-IM events is also significant, because breaststroke is a part of the individual medley race.
Now what about non-Americans? There’s been several from other nations who have raced both breaststroke and other non-IM events at the Olympics, but the U.S. Olympic team is arguably the most difficult team to qualify for — making Douglass’s feat even more extraordinary.
- For a non-exhaustive list of all swimmers who have raced both breaststroke and other non-IM events at the Olympics, click here.
The unprecedented nature of Douglass’s Olympic lineup can reach a whole new stratosphere in Paris. Right now, she’s ranked fifth in the world in the 100 free, second in the 200 breast, and second in the 200 IM, meaning that she has a shot at medalling in all three events and perhaps even winning gold in the latter two. Only four swimmers in Olympic history have medalled in both a breaststroke and non-breaststroke event, and none of them have won gold in both types of events. In addition, only one swimmer has medalled in both a breaststroke and another non-IM event — Hungary’s Eva Novak, who won silver in the 200 breast and 400 free at the 1952 Olympics.
Even if Douglass doesn’t medal in both the 200 breast and 100 free at this Olympics, she can still join Novak in rarified territory by swimming on the 4×100 free relay, where the United States are the favorites for silver. It’s also notable that France’s Leon Marchand also has a chance to join those aforementioned four swimmers, as he’s the 2023 World Champion in the 200 IM/400 IM/200 fly and the sixth-fastest performer of all-time in the 200 breast (more on him later when the time comes).
List Of Olympic Medalists In Both Breaststroke And Non-Breaststroke Events:
| Swimmer | Olympic Performance |
| Amanda Beard, United States | 200 breast gold, 200 IM silver (2004) |
| Lin Li, China | 200 IM gold, 200 breast/400 IM silver (1992) |
| Claudia Kolb, United States | 200/400 IM gold (1968), 200 breast silver (1964) |
| Eva Novak, Hungary | 200 breast/400 free silver (1952) |
None of this even accounts for the fact that Douglass, alongside holding the American record in the 200 breast, is also the American record holder in the 50 free. However, she opted not to swim the event at Olympic trials because its semi-finals were right before the 200 IM final. Had she raced it, more history could have been made.
In a sport full of specialists, Douglass has always been a unicorn. And the Olympic history that she’s made only further proves it.
