Gretchen Walsh Breaks Own 100m Butterfly World Record for Third Time
American swimmer clocks 54.33 seconds in Fort Lauderdale, becoming first woman to hold 13 fastest times in event history
Quick Look
- Gretchen Walsh set her third 100m butterfly world record in 12 months, clocking 54.33 seconds in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
- The 23-year-old American, who narrowly missed Olympic gold to teammate Torri Huske in Paris, now owns the 13 fastest times in the event's history.
- She first broke the 55-second barrier last May with a 54.60-second swim.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Gretchen Walsh has dominated the women's 100m butterfly, setting three world records in 12 months. She narrowly lost to Torri Huske at the Paris Olympics in a closely contested final. Walsh also holds short-course world records in the 50m and 100m butterfly and 50m freestyle.
Gretchen Walsh bettered her own 100m butterfly world record for the third time in 12 months as she clocked 54.33 seconds in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the same event where she became the first woman to breach the 55-second mark. The reigning world champion now owns the 13 fastest times in the event's history. "Must be magic or something out here... let's make this an annual thing, shall we?," the 23-year-old posted on Instagram. Walsh, who narrowly missed out on gold in 100m butterfly to US teammate Torri Huske at the Paris Olympics, clocked 54.60 seconds last May to become the first woman to go under the 55-second mark. The swim was the second time she had set the 100m butterfly record that day. Walsh is more than a second quicker than the next-fastest woman, Sweden's Sarah Sjostrom, who clocked 55.48 seconds at the 2016 Olympics. Walsh also holds short-course world records in the 50m and 100m butterfly and the 50m freestyle.
Open Questions
- Will Walsh compete at the next World Championships?
- How much faster can the 100m butterfly times go?
