Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports
Kate Douglass and Alex Walsh Combine to Win 13 Medals at FINA World Championships
Virginia swimmers Kate Douglass and Alex Walsh wrote the next chapter of their legendary swimming careers at the international level this week at the 2022 FINA World Short Course Championships in Melbourne, Australia. Douglass and Walsh combined to win 13 total medals for Team USA, including eight gold medals.
On the opening night of competition last Monday, Douglass and Walsh became the first two American women to ever swim the 200-meter individual medley in under 2:04.00. Douglass took gold in 2:02.12 and Walsh silver in 2:03.37, the second and third fastest times ever recorded in the event. Douglass broke the American record by nearly two full seconds and was just .26 seconds off the world record.
Douglass also won a silver medal on opening night as part of the 4x100-meter freestyle relay team that set an American record. UVA alum Leah Smith medaled on Monday as well, taking bronze in the 400-meter freestyle.
Both Douglass and Walsh earned a gold medal on Tuesday for their contributions in Team USA's 4x50-meter mixed medley relay team. Douglass swam the butterfly leg in the prelims and finals and Walsh swam the anchor leg of the relay in the prelims, putting USA in the top spot for the finals. Douglass helped USA set a new world record of 1:35.15 in the finals, marking the first time in UVA program history that a Virginia women's swimmer has been a part of a world record.
Walsh also earned a bronze medal on Tuesday, swimming the leadoff leg of USA's third-place 4x200-meter freestyle relay team.
On Wednesday night, Douglass and Walsh teamed up again to lead USA to gold as part of the 4x50-meter freestyle relay team. Walsh anchored the relay in the prelims to qualify the team for the finals and then Douglass anchored in the final, swimming that last leg in 22.77 seconds to seal USA's first-place finish in an American record time of 1:33.89.
Douglass captured her fourth gold medal and second individual gold of the week on Friday as she and fellow American Lilly King went 1-2 in the 200-meter breaststroke. Douglass finished in 2:15.77, a championship record and the third-fastest time in American history.
On the final night of the 2022 FINA World Short Course Championships, Douglass and Walsh both earned yet another gold as they helped USA win the 4x100-meter medley relay. Walsh swam the backstroke leg in the prelims to help secure USA's top spot in the finals, while Douglass swam butterfly in the prelims and then switched to freestyle to anchor in the finals to lead USA to a world-record time of 3:44.45.
That was the second world record performance that Douglass was a part of this week and brought her medal total up to seven, tied for the most on Team USA. Douglass led all Americans with five gold medals, while Alex Walsh finished with three golds and six overall medals.
Kate Douglass and Alex Walsh certainly represented both the United States of America and the University of Virginia well this week in Melbourne and they will be returning to Charlottesville with some serious hardware.
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