Breaking Barriers: 21-Year-Old Gretchen Walsh Sets New Women’s 100m Butterfly Record at US Olympic Swimming Trials

21-year-old Gretchen Walsh made history on Saturday night by setting a world record in the women’s 100m butterfly event during a semifinal heat at the U.S. Olympic swimming trials in Indianapolis. She clocked in at 55.18 seconds, surpassing the previous record of 55.48 set by Sarah Sjöström at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Walsh was more than half a second faster than the world-record pace at the turn, and despite feeling like she was “dying,” she held on to achieve this remarkable feat. Upon seeing her time on the scoreboard with a “WR” next to her name, Walsh was filled with disbelief and amazement. She had not expected to break the record that night but was focused on swimming a fast time.

The 21-year-old from Nashville, Tennessee, representing the University of Virginia, now finds herself as a world-record holder in the 100m butterfly. However, she still has to secure a spot on her first Olympic team by competing in the final on Sunday night against a talented field that includes Torri Huske, Regan Smith, and Claire Curzan, all of whom earned medals in the Tokyo Games. Despite her success, Walsh believes she can improve even further and is determined to continue growing as a swimmer.