The key facts
- Walsh swam the 50 m freestyle in 22.75 s, improving on her previous record of 22.83 s (Budapest 2024)
- At the same meet she won the 50 m butterfly in 24.02 — the sixth-fastest time in short-course history
- Preparation for the December World Championships in Beijing; the US selection meet is in two weeks in the Chicago suburbs
New world record
American swimmer Gretchen Walsh broke her own world record in the 50-meter freestyle in short-course swimming (25-meter pool). On Friday evening at the World Prep Pro-Am meet in Charlottesville, Virginia, she posted a time of 22.75 seconds, improving on the previous mark of 22.83 set at the 2024 World Short Course Championships in Budapest. The race took place at the University of Virginia pool, for which Walsh competed during her college years.
Butterfly victory
That same evening Walsh also won the 50-meter butterfly with a time of 24.02 seconds — the sixth-fastest result in short-course history at this distance. She beat second-place finisher Claire Curzan by 0.83 seconds.
Context and achievements
According to AFP, in October 2024 Walsh set the world record in the 100-meter individual medley in the same pool, and two months later broke it in Hungary. Swimmers are preparing for the December World Short Course Championships in Beijing; the US team selection meet will be held in two weeks in the Chicago suburbs. Walsh won seven gold medals, five of them in individual events, at the 2024 World Short Course Championships and three golds at last year's long-course World Championships in Singapore. At the 2024 Paris Olympics she won as part of two relay teams.
