Gretchen Walsh made history on Saturday night at the U.S. Olympic swimming trials by setting a world record in the women’s 100-meter butterfly. She posted a time of 55.18 seconds in a semifinal heat, surpassing the previous record of 55.48 set by Sweden’s Sarah Sjöström at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. Walsh was more than a half-second under world-record pace at the turn and managed to hold on to break the record.
After the race, Walsh expressed her surprise at her achievement, stating that she felt like she was “dying” during the swim and didn’t realize she was going that fast. The 21-year-old Walsh, a native of Nashville, Tennessee, who swims for the University of Virginia, still has more to do to secure a spot on her first Olympic team. In the final on Sunday night, she will compete against a strong field that includes Torri Huske, Regan Smith, and Claire Curzan, all of whom are medalists from the Tokyo Games. Despite her record-breaking performance, Walsh believes she can still improve and swim even faster.
Walsh’s victory has generated excitement and buzz in the swimming community, with many amazed at her world-record-breaking performance. She credits her hard work and determination for this achievement and looks forward to the challenges that lie ahead. The road to the Olympics is not an easy one, but Walsh is prepared to give it her all and continue pushing herself to reach new heights in her swimming career.