Young Gretchen Walsh Breaks World Record in 100m Butterfly at U.S. Olympic Trials: A Night of Surprise and Inspiration

On Saturday night, Gretchen Walsh made history by setting a world record in the women’s 100m butterfly event 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.

Despite feeling like she was “dying” at the turn, Walsh held on and achieved this remarkable feat. Upon seeing her time on the scoreboard with a “WR” next to her name, she was filled with disbelief and amazement. She had not expected to break the record that night but was focused on swimming a fast time.

At just 21 years old, Walsh 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.