'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAMDAwMDAwQEBAQFBQUFBQcHBgYHBwsICQgJCAsRCwwLCwwLEQ8SDw4PEg8bFRMTFRsfGhkaHyYiIiYwLTA+PlQBAwMDAwMDBAQEBAUFBQUFBwcGBgcHCwgJCAkICxELDAsLDAsRDxIPDg8SDxsVExMVGx8aGRofJiIiJjAtMD4+VP/AABEIAAYACgMBIgACEQEDEQH/xABlAAEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABgcQAAEDBAIDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAECAxEABAUhEiITI9IBAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYHEQABBAEEAwAAAAAAAAAAAAADAQIEEQAFEiEiM0HR/9oADAMBAAIRAxEAPwDXRhFWCbqyGSuYcaJcHjZXzAPUBa0ko7bMDYqSVgxJm8emd+tn4pSl0ELXlkbnEXvfkd9ySazqUgAoewcXkdWsULl4r2rc/9k='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Kate Douglass was probably the most successful swimmer at the 2022 Short Course World Championships. Being a member of the American women's team, she won gold in the Women’s 4x100 medley relay on the final day of the event, setting a world record in the process.
Following the medal ceremony, relay captain Kate Douglass decided to give her gold medal to an age group swimmer volunteering at the competition.
Speaking to SwimSwam, Kate Douglass talked about why she gave her gold medal to one of the volunteers,
“Honestly these medals are just going to sit in a box in my room, so I figured one of the volunteers would be much more excited about it than me. I just felt like I wanted to give them something. They were super excited, and it was really cute.”
North-West Aquatics shared a photo of the medal Douglass handed Tulloch on their Instagram page, describing it as a "wonderful keepsake" and expressing their gratitude to Douglass for his deed.
The volunteer was Australian swimmer Emily Tulloch, 13, of the North-West Aquatic Club, who had been working all week on the Short Course World Championships.
Kate Douglass at Short Course World Championships
Douglass emerged as the most successful athlete with the most medals at the 2022 Short-Course World Championships, winning five golds and two silvers. She won three relay gold medals in the women's 4x50 free relay, women's 4x100 medley relay, and mixed 4x50 medley relay, while the latter two relays setting world records. She also won two individual gold medals in the 200-meter IM and 200-meter breasts.
Additionally, she won silver in both the women's 4x50 medley relay and the 4x100 freestyle relay for the ladies. Douglass placed sixth in the short course worlds, earning $44,000 in prize money, which is the fifth-highest total of any competitor.
Douglass broke three American records in the competition in the 50-meter freestyle, 100 butterfly, and 200 breaststroke. She also raced as the leadoff and anchor on four relay teams that won the national championship. The most spectacular performance came on the last day of the competition when she broke Lilly King's 200 breaststroke record, which stood for four years.
As she competed against Texas' Anna Elendt for the first 100 yards of the final, Douglass was a few tenths off the record pace, but she then started to pull away. She overtook King's pace by two hundredths at the 150-yard mark and increased this lead over the last 50 yards. She finished in 2:02.19, beating King's previous American, NCAA, and U.S. Open record of 2018 by four-tenths.
Kate Douglass also became the first swimmer since Natalie Coughlin to hold the American record in three distinct strokes thanks to her performance. Additionally, no swimmer has ever won a 50 free or 100 fly at the NCAA Championships after also winning the 200 breaststroke before Douglass.
Douglass is not the first
Kate Douglass is not the first sportsperson to have donated medals from significant international competitions. Anthony Ervin sold his 2000 Olympic gold medal for $17,000 and donated the proceeds to tsunami relief efforts. Ryan Lochte, who auctioned six of his twelve Olympic medals for charity, which sends ill children on their dream vacation.
