Gretchen Walsh dominated day 1 of the Paris Olympics by producing a victorious performance in round 1 of the 100m butterfly event semi-final. She broke the Olympic record, almost surpassing her own world record. On the other hand, Torri Huske gave another sublime performance in round 2 of the semi-finals.
Walsh, who is the current world record holder of the 100m butterfly, cruised through the water and swam towards victory in 55.38s, which is a new Olympic record and also the third fastest swim of all time. She finished in front of Angelina Koehler and Mizuki Hirai, who posted a time of 56.55s and 56.80s to claim second and third place, respectively, in round 1 of the semi-finals.
Torri Huske, in round 2, claimed first place by clocking 56.00s, and finishing ahead of Yufei Zhang and Maragaret Mac Neil, who clocked 56.15s and 56.55s, respectively. In the overall results, Walsh and Huske took the first and second positions with their exceptional swims in their respective rounds.
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Gretchen Walsh was just 0.20s away from breaking her world record of 55.18s in the 100m butterfly event on day 1 of the Paris Olympics 2024. She had set this world record almost a month ago, during the 2024 US Olympic trials at the Lucas Stadium, by shattering Sarah Sjostrom's previous world record of 55.48s.
Gretchen Walsh opens up about breaking the world record at the US trials
Gretchen Walsh showcased her quality as a formidable contender during the US swimming Olympic trials, where she broke the 100m butterfly world record by clocking 55.18s. Following the swim, the American swimmer expressed that she was nervous and had her eyes set on making the team, but breaking the world record was "insanity" for her (according to Harpethall).
"I was definitely nervous. I just had a lot of what-ifs going through my head.. coming off of breaking a world record and then think, 'I need to do that again or I might miss the team.' Making the team was the biggest goal, but getting a world record was absolute insanity."
She further reflected on her 2021 Olympic trials disappointment and said that it pushed her to train her confidence. The swimmer also credited her friends and family for their support.
"I realized that it’s important to listen to people when they have faith in you and confidence in you and not let that become a weight on your shoulders," Gretchen said. "It’s important to take what people say and really believe in it, especially your family, coaches, and friends. They are the people who know you best. They are going to be the ones who are there every step of the way and telling you, 'Gretchen, you can do this, you are capable more than you will ever know.'"
Gretchen Walsh now has her sights set on clinching gold in the finals of her 100m butterfly event at the Paris Olympics.
