A memorable Saturday for swimming produced world records on both sides of the Atlantic, with Germany’s Johannes Liebmann and American Kate Douglass each delivering historic performances.
Johannes Liebmann, aged 19, produced a stunning display at the European Aquatics Championships in Paris. Competing in the men’s 1500m freestyle, he stopped the clock at 14 minutes 26.79 seconds to capture his first international gold medal.
That time carved 3.88 seconds off the previous world record set by American Bobby Finke at the 2024 Olympic Games, which were also staged in the French capital. Liebmann became the first swimmer ever to finish the distance in under 14 minutes 30 seconds.
The scale of the improvement was the largest for the event since Australia’s Grant Hackett lowered the mark in 2001. Hackett, a three time Olympic champion, swam 14 minutes 34.56 seconds that year, taking more than seven seconds off the previous standard, and his record stood for a decade.
Meanwhile, in California, Kate Douglass produced another headline moment during the heats of the Pan Pacific Championships. The 24 year old two time Olympic champion clocked 23.49 seconds in the women’s 50m freestyle, reclaiming the world record from compatriot Gretchen Walsh.
Douglass had originally set the record in June with a time of 23.59 seconds. Nine days later, Walsh lowered the mark to 23.55 seconds. Saturday’s swim was Douglass’s second time this summer breaking the women’s 50m freestyle world record.
The two swims added new chapters to the record books and underscored a remarkable day for the sport, with fresh benchmarks established in Europe and North America.
