Kate Douglass confirmed on the Olympics.com podcast recently that she plans to race in 2028 at the Los Angeles Olympics, and that she “definitely” wants to return to the 200 IM.
Swim Updates on X posted about the podcast yesterday, highlighting the fact that with Douglass racing the event, she opens the door to a “rematch” with Summer McIntosh on U.S. soil.
Kate Douglass confirms plans to race at the LA Olympics and “definitely” return to the 200 IM — after she skipped the event this year and previously hinted at retirement — opening the door to a potential rematch with newly minted WR Holder Summer McIntosh on American soil. pic.twitter.com/e4UOI8Oobk
— Swim Updates (@swimupdates) July 11, 2025
During the interview, Douglass talked about how she took a short break after the Olympics, and decided to shift her focus this year to events she hasn’t competed internationally, particularly the 100 breaststroke and the 50 freestyle.
At the U.S. Trials last month, she finished first in the event, qualifying for the Worlds team and beating World Record holder Lilly King in the process.
Her 50 free was not quite as successful, with her finishing 3rd behind UVA teammate Gretchen Walsh and Torri Huske.
She mentioned how she had taken a break from the 200 IM because it “usually isn’t [her] favorite event to race” mentioning how she hasn’t done a lot of IM training this year. She went on to say that she will definitely get back to it in the future.
She also confirmed that LA 2028 is her goal and where she sees herself ending her swimming career, but if she is going to make it there, it’s important that she tries new things and “chills” out so she doesn’t burn herself out.
This comes after she has been on the fence about returning, saying in November of 2023, that she saw retirement in the “near future” and that she was “looking forward to it.”
She walked that statement back a little bit in October of last year, when she said on a podcast that there was a “50/50” chance she made it to LA 2028.
Douglass is entered in the 100 breast, 200 breast, and 50 butterfly at the 2025 World Championships later this month.
