2024 US Olympic Trials
After breaking 56 seconds for the first time on Saturday morning, Gretchen Walsh He proceeded to break the world record in the 100 butterfly at night.
In the semifinals of the women’s 100-meter butterfly at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Qualifiers, Walsh ran a time of 55.18 seconds, beating the Swedish swimmer. Sarah SjostromThe previous world record was 55.48 seconds at the 2016 Rio Olympics. She also dropped by 0.76 seconds from her preliminary time of 55.94, which previously made her the sixth fastest performance of all time. Prior to this meet, Walsh’s best time was 56.18 from the San Antonio Pro Swim Series in April 2024.
The best ever in the women’s 100 meter butterfly:
- Gretchen WalshUnited States – 55.18 (2024)
- Sarah SjostromSweden – 55.48 (2016)
- Maggie MacNeil, Canada – 55.59 (2021)
- Zhang Yufei, China – 55.62 (2020)
- Tori Huskey, USA – 55.64 (2022)
Walsh returned home about the same speed as she did Saturday morning, but was 0.77 seconds faster on the way out. Both her first and second 50s were faster than when she set her personal best before the trials.
Split comparison:
| Gretchen Walsh2024 US Olympic Trials semifinals | Gretchen Walsh2024 US Olympic Qualifiers | Gretchen Walsh2024 San Antonio Pro Swimming Series | |
| 50 m | 25.45 | 26.22 | 25.84 |
| 100 m | 29.73 | 29.72 | 30.30 |
| last | 55.18 | 55.94 | 56.14 |
At the 2023 World Championships, Walsh placed eighth in the finals of the 100 fly. However, if she ends up qualifying for the event on Sunday night, she will jump into the gold medal favorite spot as the world record holder.
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