Lilly King, Torri Huske, Kate Douglass & other swimmers react to Gretchen Walsh's record-breaking performance at World Swimming Championships

On Friday, 13th December, Gretchen Walsh created history at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships in Budapest. She set her 6th world record at the event.

Her latest achievement came in the women's 100m butterfly final, where she delivered a dominant performance, clocking a record-breaking 53.24 seconds. This followed her earlier record in the 50m butterfly, established on the second day of the competition.

The Olympic champion took to Instagram to celebrate her victory, captioning her post:

"Let's keep 'em coming I guess!"

This post drew enthusiastic reactions from her fellow swimmers, including Elizabeth Beisel, Nick Albiero, and Alexandra Shackell.

Lilly King humorously wrote:

"Dinner on Gretchen for the next year"

While Torri Huske expressed excitement in her own style:

"On finyaaa"

Kate Douglass responded directly to Walsh's caption with a playful remark,

"I guess so"

https://www.instagram.com/p/DDh_sN5zQOk/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

The 2024 World Aquatics Championships in Budapest proved to be a golden campaign for Walsh, who clinched four gold medals, including the women's 100m freestyle, 50m butterfly, 100m medley, and the 4x100m freestyle relay. Her performances added to a string of accomplishments, further solidifying her position as one of the sport's brightest stars.

At the 2024 Paris Olympics, the swimming champion showcased similar prowess, securing four medals - two golds and two silvers- and setting world records in the 4x100m medley relay and 4x100m mixed medley relay.

Building on her Olympic triumphs, she carried her momentum into Budapest, achieving numerous world records in just four days of competition.

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Gretchen Walsh reflects on her new world record in Budapest

Gretchen Walsh at Swimming - Olympic Games Paris 2024: Day 8 - Source: Getty

Following her sixth record-breaking performance in the women's 100-meter butterfly at Duna Aréna, Gretchen Walsh spoke to Swimming World on December 13, 2024. She highlighted the connection between her freestyle and butterfly strokes, explaining how improvements in one enhance the other.

The gold medalist emphasized the importance of self-comparison in her training. By analyzing her past performances, she identified key areas for improvement and set ambitious goals, enabling her to continually push her limits and achieve new milestones.

In the interview, she said:

"They're kind of similar, they're the same, and it makes my freestyle better. It makes my butterfly better when I compare myself to myself, so, I mean, it's been pretty remarkable to see how I've been able to improve myself and just keep striving for new goals and kind of really find my touch with something I kind of lost touch with a little bit ago." (0:01 onwards)"

This week in Budapest, Gretchen Walsh added a seventh swimming world record to her illustrious career.