Kate Douglass has set a world record in the women's 50-meter freestyle at the Pan Pacific Championships. The 24-year-old American finished in 23.49 seconds during the preliminary heats in Irvine, California. Douglass broke the previous mark of 23.55 set by teammate Gretchen Walsh in June at an international meet in Rome. Walsh swam in the heat after Douglass and touched in 23.78 seconds. They qualify as the top two for the evening final. It's the first individual world record set at the meet that includes swimmers from Australia, Japan, Canada, and China, among other countries.