American swimmer Gretchen Walsh made history on Saturday at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Swim Trials in Indianapolis. Walsh clocked an incredible time of 55.18 seconds in the 100-meter women’s butterfly, breaking the world record in the event and beating out Swedish swimmer Sarah Sjöström by more than half a second.
Walsh, a senior at the University of Virginia and a Nashville native, entered the semifinal heat as the top seed after recording a time of 55.94 in a preliminary heat. This already ranked as the sixth-fastest race in the event’s history. She played a significant role in UVA’s achievement as the third swim team in NCAA history to win four consecutive team titles.
At just 21 years old, Walsh now has the opportunity to qualify for her first Olympic team if she ranks among the top two finishers during the Sunday night final. She will be facing experienced Olympians including 2020 Tokyo medalists Torri Huske, Regan Smith, and Claire Curzan.
After her historic performance, Walsh expressed her happiness at setting a new standard, calling it a “surreal experience” and being “over the moon”.
