Gretchen Walsh has made history by setting a world record in the women’s 100-meter butterfly at the U.S. Olympic swimming trials in Indianapolis. She achieved this feat by posting a time of 55.18 seconds in a semifinal heat, over half a second faster than the previous world record set by Sweden’s Sarah Sjöström at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
After her record-breaking performance, Walsh expressed surprise at her accomplishment, admitting that she didn’t realize how fast she was swimming during the race. The 21-year-old competitive swimmer from Nashville, Tennessee, who swims for the University of Virginia, acknowledged that she took it out too fast but was thrilled to see a world record displayed next to her name on the scoreboard.
Even though Walsh has made history with her world record in the 100m butterfly, she knows that she still has more work to do to secure a spot on her first Olympic team. Facing a strong field in the final, including Torri Huske, Regan Smith, and Claire Curzan, all of whom are medalists from the Tokyo Games, Walsh remains confident that she can continue to improve.
Looking ahead to the final, Walsh believes that she can go even faster in the 100m butterfly and is determined to showcase her full potential. The young swimmer’s record-breaking performance has captured the attention of the swimming world
