Who is Natalie Hinds? Swimmer wins 100 meter freestyle at USA National Swimming Championships 2022

The 2022 Phillips 66 Swimming National Championships commenced yesterday, July 24, and on the very first day, Natalie Hinds clinched the first position in the 100 meters freestyle. The American swimmer represents the Gator Swim Club in Florida.

Natalie Hinds completed the 100-meter distance in a span of 53.53 seconds, which was her personal best. She was followed by Gretchen Walsh and Gabi Albiero, who completed the race in 53.86 and 54.39 seconds respectively.

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Natalie Hinds’ swimming career highlights

Rankings in the 100 meters freestyle category (Image via USA Swimming)

Regarding her competitor Gretchen Walsh’s performance at the finals of the 100 meters freestyle at the Swimming Nationals, Hinds stated the following in an interview with NBC:

“Gretchen’s got so much speed, but I really tried to focus on myself. I knew I could probably be out first at the 50, and it’s really all about focusing on the second 50 and getting to the wall that last 15.”

Hinds' swimming career has been full of ups and downs. It is commendable that she did not give up on her dreams of taking part in major swimming tournaments despite being ranked in the 40th position at the 2016 Olympic Trials.

She bounced back in 2021 and qualified for the Tokyo Olympics. She even brought back a bronze medal for the country in the 4x100 meter freestyle relay category.

Ever since then, Natalie Hinds has been performing well and she even won two medals at the 2022 World Aquatics Championships that was held a month ago in Budapest, Hungary. She won a gold medal in the 4x100 meter medley and a bronze medal in the 4x100 meter freestyle.

With regards to her decision to take part in the Swimming National Championships 2022 and her subsequent win, she commented:

“It’s been kind of a long season. Trials was back in April. It’s just been trying to be in it for a really long time mentally, and I’m really proud of myself for that swim.

"I wasn’t going to come to Nationals, then I was, then I wasn’t. I just felt like at Worlds, I really didn’t’ swim to the best of my abilities, to my levels. I wanted to come to Nationals also because, I want to take advantage of every opportunity I have before my swim career is over.

"This is an interesting meet because it’s been such a long season. This is a meet where you can come here and – not to be cringy – but actually have fun in the sun. And it’s one of those meets where I can have fun with my teammates and a little less pressure but still swim fast.”

The Swimming National Championships 2022 is ongoing and will conclude on July 30, 2022. Interested viewers can tune into NBC, CNBC, and Peacock to watch it live.