Germany's Liebmann and America's Douglass both break world records on same day

Saturday brought a pair of standout performances in swimming, as Germany's Johannes Liebmann and American Kate Douglass each broke world records on different continents.

Liebmann, 19, won his first international gold medal at the European Aquatics Championships in Paris, clocking 14 minutes 26.79 seconds in the men's 1500m freestyle. That time is 3.88 seconds faster than the previous record, set by American Bobby Finke at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Liebmann became the first swimmer ever to finish the distance in under 14 minutes 30 seconds, marking the biggest improvement on the record since Australia's Grant Hackett in 2001.

Hackett had cut more than seven seconds off the record at the time, swimming 14:34.56 — a mark that stood for a decade afterward.

Douglass reclaims sprint record

Meanwhile in California, two-time Olympic champion Kate Douglass, 24, broke the women's 50m freestyle world record for the second time this summer during heats at the Pan Pacific Championships. She clocked 23.49 seconds, taking the record back from teammate Gretchen Walsh. Douglass had swum 23.59 in June, only for Walsh to lower it further to 23.55 nine days later.