Kate Douglas: How Math Helps You Swim Faster (Part 1)

2001Year11Month17DayBornAmerican athlete Kate・DouglasKate Douglass）She’s a rising star in U.S. swimming over the past few years. At the Singapore World Championships, which concluded on August 3, Douglas won one gold medal (in the 200m breaststroke) and one silver (in the 100m breaststroke), while also claiming two more golds in the relay events—leading the women’s 4x100m medley relay and the mixed 4x100m freestyle relay.1 silver (women's 4x100m freestyle), totaling 3 golds and 3 silvers—a truly outstanding performance.

Douglas specializes in breaststroke and individual medley events.6Competing in the contest this year,In middle schoolBecomingAs a member of the U.S. National Youth Team, participated in2017 Indianapolis Junior World Championships and2018The Youth Olympic Games in Argentina this year. At50In the men's freestyle, American swimming was created.13~14Years and15~16The best record for the age group.2019 Year,ShePreviouslyRanked second among 20 top high schools，Maintaining New York High School 50 Rice and 100The state record for the men's freestyle swim2019Year，She enrolled at the University of Virginia, majoring in statistics,The coach is Todd, the head coach of the University of Virginia Cavaliers women's team.·Desobo(Todd DeSorbo)

DesoboOnceContinuousTwoRanked asCSCAA（American Collegiate Swimming and Diving Coaches Association）AnnualBestFemale swimming coachHe led the U.S. women's team.— Including4Current nameVirginia University Women's Swimming and Diving TeamAthlete— Won 18 at the Tokyo OlympicsA set of medals.2021Year,DesoboCoached Virginia University Women's SwimmingAnd divingThe team secures the first oneNCAAChampion. Currently under his command are5U.S. National Team women's training, compared to2021~2022 No other school has more student-athletes representing the U.S. national team than this one.Desobo is also2022Annual Budapest FINA World Swimming ChampionshipsThe head coach of the U.S. women's swimming team

As a freshmanNewbornDouglas,BecauseSwimmingThe results were so outstanding that they made headlines in the media.2022Year, DouglasBeingCSCAARated asAnnualBestWomanThe young swimmer,Also receivedHonda LogisticsMoveAward，This award has already46A history spanning years, used forRecognition NCAA Approved 12 The top female athletes in this sport are all outstanding college athletes who have earned recognition.The one who

At2024Paris OlympicsUp, Douglas wins the women's competition200Swimming Champion in the Breaststroke（2:19.24）And breaking the Americas record, women200Men's individual medley silver medalist, women's4×100Women's silver medalist in the 4x100m freestyle relay4×100Swam to victory in the mixed medley relay and broke the world record.22Twenty-year-old Douglas is at the University of Virginia.2023Graduating class，200The gold medal in the women's butterfly made her becomeThe school's first-ever female athlete to win an individual gold medal.

Douglas at the 2024 Paris Olympics

After the Olympics, thanks toAt2024FINA Swimming World CupOutstanding performances across the three events,DouglasAwarded2024SeasonSwimming World Cup AnnualWomanChampionship title.AtShanghai, Incheon, South Korea, and Singapore—three stopsWorld CupEventChina，DouglasThree-time women's winner200Breaststroke,50Women's Butterfly Swim100Swimmer wins individual medley title, setting a new record twice200Men's World Record in Butterfly Swimming (Incheon Station)2:14.16, Singapore stop2:12.72). Additionally, she also secured a spot at the Singapore event100The gold medal in the men's freestyle event was won at the Shanghai leg.200Mixed Medley Gold Medal，Showcased her strong swimming skillsAnd a strong mental fortitude

Among the awards Douglas has received, one stands out—she was recognized for2022AnnualObtainBestWomen's swimmingScholar-Athlete(ACC/ Scholar-Athletes of the Year)ACC Annual Best Scholar-Athlete Award in 2007SeptemberEstablished monthly, it is awarded annually to the student-athletes who demonstrate the best performance in their respective sports. Selected as Top Scholars-The minimum academic requirement for the Athlete Award is an average grade from the previous semester.3.0Points, as well as the average grade achieved during your academic career3.0Points. During the selection process, recent season performance will also be taken into account.

In fact, Douglas has achieved outstanding athletic results in recent years, closely tied to her academic pursuits—especially in mathematics. 

Traditional thinking holds that swimming is a sport that relies on the athlete's feel for the water and the coach's keen eye—but Douglas and herOfSeveral Olympic teammates are exploring new competitive arenas. She’s increasingly realizing this includes breaststroke as well.At the timeDetails like the head position and the way the left hand enters the water during backstroke—though seemingly minor—actually hold the key to victory.

While at the University of Virginia, they worked under the guidance of theoretical mathematician Dr. Ken Ono, measuring and analyzing the forces generated during swimming to optimize underwater movement—aiming to shave off that crucial hundredth of a second that often determines medal success. Dr. Ono first began applying data analysis to swimming in 2018 while serving as a professor at Emory University. To gather the necessary data, his research team equipped swimmers with highly sensitive accelerometers embedded with internal gyroscopes and directional force sensors. By leveraging Newton’s laws of motion and fluid dynamics, they analyzed the data to develop tailored recommendations for refining swimming techniques and refining race strategies.

2019YearDouglas was accepted to the University of Virginia, initially majoring in Computer Science before transferring to Statistics.2023YearSheEarning a bachelor’s degree in statistics, she chose to stay at the University of Virginia to pursue a master’s degree in the same field—while simultaneously training for the Olympics at the Aquatic Fitness Center.

Before attending the University of Virginia, Douglas never imagined she could use math to tackle a range of challenges in swimming. That all changed when she realized the concepts she was learning in class could be seamlessly integrated with sports. Today, Douglas often wears a belt equipped with an accelerometer while swimming, and she also has similar devices on her smartphone and fitness watch. During swims, the sensors can measure movement in three spatial directions—every single second.512Next, help her discover a scientific approach to improving arm-stroke efficiency.

At2020~2021After Kento Ono, a young athlete, began collaborating with the University of Virginia swimming team, Douglas quickly realized how mathematics could help achieve top-notch performance. Her training approach blends traditional physical conditioning with cutting-edge data analysis, leveraging statistical insights to meticulously examine every detail of both training sessions and competitions—identifying specific areas where improvements can be made.

Douglas initially had improper head positioning during the glide, which increased drag.

After Douglas adjusted the head position using math, he managed to reduce the time of each run by 0.11 seconds.

“Once I arrived at the University of Virginia, I began to realize how statistics could guide me toward a more scientific approach to training. I hadn’t fully grasped this before, but now…”ThisBecoming an essential part of my swimming routine has at least helped me shave off a few tenths of a second.”

Douglas participated when he was an undergraduate.NCAAThe tournament set an unprecedented record, becoming the first to…50Men's freestyle and200Rice FrogA swimmer who simultaneously broke U.S. records in two entirely different events. This achievement not only highlights her versatility but also underscores her ability to apply mathematical analysis to diverse swimming disciplines.