Gretchen Walsh Workout

Gretchen Walsh is an American swimmer renowned for holding the world record in the 100-meter butterfly. Born on January 29, 2003, in Nashville, Tennessee, Walsh stands 6 feet 1 inch tall. She first made waves in competitive swimming by qualifying for a national junior competition in 2015 and becoming the youngest swimmer at the U.S. Olympic Trials in 2016.

Walsh attended Harpeth Hall High School in Nashville where she set national high school records in the 50m and 100m freestyle. She currently competes for the University of Virginia, where she has won seven NCAA titles in a single year and set American, U.S. Open, and NCAA records in multiple events. Walsh's impressive accomplishments are matched by those of her older sister, Alex, also a talented swimmer.

Gretchen Walsh Workout

Gretchen Walsh’s winter training has been particularly noteworthy, as she described it as “some of the best training I’ve had my whole life.” According to SwimSwam, Walsh achieved impressive times during these workouts, including a 48-second performance in the 100 back and a 46-second performance in the 100 free.

Walsh, a junior at Virginia, is the defending NCAA champion in both the 100 back and 100 free and the defending runner-up in the 50 free. She aims for a clean sweep in these events at the 2024 NCAA Championships.

Gretchen Walsh Training

Walsh practices consistently by performing twelve dolphin kicks off each wall during training. This builds endurance, improves technique, and strengthens pulmonary muscles, which helps with managing breath and fatigue during races. She also focuses on both the downkick and upkick phases of the dolphin kick.

Walsh emphasizes the importance of a strong upkick, which can be improved with drills like vertical kicking and fish kicking. These exercises help develop a balanced kick and enhance kicking power. Walsh attributes some of her success to strength training in the gym. Exercises like kettlebell swings, power cleans, rollouts, deadlifts, and squats contribute to overall strength and power, which translate into more effective dolphin kicks.

Gretchen Walsh Medal Record

Gretchen Walsh has won a total of 17 medals in her competitive swimming career. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, she earned silver medals in both the 100 m butterfly and the 4×100 m freestyle relay. At the 2023 World Championships in Fukuoka, Walsh secured a gold medal in the 4×100 m medley relay, a silver in the 4×100 m freestyle relay, and a bronze in the 50 m butterfly.

Her success at the World Junior Championships in 2019 was remarkable, with six gold medals across the 50 m freestyle, 100 m freestyle, 4×100 m medley, 4×100 m mixed medley, 4×100 m freestyle, and 4×100 m mixed freestyle events. Additionally, at the 2018 Junior Pan Pac Championships in Suva, Walsh won five gold medals in the 100 m freestyle, 4×100 m medley, 4×100 m mixed medley, 4×100 m freestyle, and 4×200 m freestyle, along with a silver in the 50 m freestyle.