Gretchen Walsh earns spot on the US Olympic swimming team the day following her record-breaking 100-meter butterfly performance.
In Indianapolis on Sunday, 21-year-old swimming sensation Caroline Walsh clinched a spot on the US Olympic team for the upcoming games in the women's 100m butterfly final. Walsh outpaced Torri Huske, finishing with a time of 55.31 seconds following a lightning-quick start. Earlier in the trials, Walsh broke the world record in the semifinals, achieving a time of 55.18 seconds to surpass Sarah Sjöström's record from 2016.
After her victory, Walsh, who took home individual and relay medals at the world championships in Fukuoka, Japan last year, was beaming with pride. "I'm speechless," she said. "Making the team was my main goal, but getting a world record was pure madness. I couldn't have asked for a better opening event."
With her Olympic spot secured, Walsh is now considered a strong contender to bring home silverware for Team USA. On Sunday, her older sister, Alex, and coach Todd DeSorbo gave her a warm embrace following her record-breaking performance.
When asked about the thought process behind breaking the record, Walsh said, "I was thinking about my family, my teammates, my coaches, and all the grueling training that led to this moment."
Sjöström took to Instagram to congratulate Walsh, stating, "Breaking records is a significant achievement, but it's also a reminder of the endless potential in swimming. Moments like these remind us why we fell in love with swimming in the first place – the pursuit of greatness and the joy of surpassing limits."
This year's swim trials drew a record-breaking crowd of 20,689, making it the most-attended swim meet in history, according to USA Swimming. Sunday's preliminaries received cheers from an astounding 17,697 fans, making it the highest-attended preliminaries in history as well.
The oldest swimmer at the meet, 46-year-old Gabrielle Rose, competed in Atlanta in 1996 and Sydney in 2000. Rose, who is over 30 years older than some of the newcomers hoping to make the Paris team, set a personal best of 1:08.43 in the women's 100-meter breaststroke, advancing to the semifinals. Despite recording another personal best of 1:08.32 during the semifinals, Rose did not manage to progress further. Regarding her experience, Rose said, "I've loved returning to my athletic roots and realizing that this is a special time in my life. I'm lucky to feel so young, strong, and to have such an incredible experience."
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In the swimming world, the presence of multiple record-breaking swimmers is becoming more common, with Caroline Walsh now joining the ranks after her record-breaking 100-meter butterfly performance. Following her triumph, Walsh mentioned the support she received from her family, teammates, and coaches as a significant factor in her success.
