Sarah Sjostrom’s women’s 50m freestyle world record has been broken by Kate Douglass of the United States, who clocked 23.59 at the Pro Swim Series in Indianapolis.

Douglass, who had a previous personal best of 23.91 from 2024, secured her first world record as she finished ahead of her Virginia training partner Gretchen Walsh, who recorded a personal best of 23.78.

Sjostrom, Olympic champion in the 50m and 100m freestyle, set her world record of 23.61 at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka.

The 32-year-old Swede, who returned to the sport this year after having a baby, was recently named in the squad for the European Aquatics Championships Paris 2026, where swimming will take place from August 10 to 16.

In her comeback at the Malmsten Swim Open in Stockholm in April she finished second in the 50m freestyle in 24.36.

While Sjostrom is definitely heading for Paris this summer, there are doubts over another of Europe’s leading performers, double world champion Maxime Grousset, who fractured his left foot during training earlier this month.

Grousset, who won the 50m and 100m butterfly titles at the 2025 World Championships, sustained the injury to the base of his second metatarsal when he was doing a training jump.

He will miss the French Championships which will take place in St Etienne from June 27 to July 2, but there are hopes that he may recover in time to take part in Paris 2026.

Grousset, 26, took three gold medals at the Giant Open in Paris three months ago in the venue which will host the action at the European Aquatics Championships 2026.

Mike Rowbottom for European Aquatics