FLASH! Gretchen Walsh Blasts World Record in 100 Butterfly; Goes 54.33 at Fort Lauderdale Open
Gretchen Walsh has developed a forumula for racing in Fort Lauderdale. Basically, racing in the South Florida city equates to world-record performances.
One year after the Team USA star established a world record in the 100-meter butterfly during TYR Pro Series action, Walsh was even better with the meet named the Fort Lauderdale Open. On Saturday night, Walsh registered a time of 54.33, an effort that easily bettered the 54.60 she managed last May. The performance marked the fourth time in which Walsh has broken the 55-second barrier, an achievement only she knows.
In what was a race against the clock, Walsh went out in 25.09 and came home in 29.24 to set the latest world record of her career. The front-end speed displayed by the University of Virginia product was downright stunning, as only four women – Sarah Sjostrom, Walsh, Zhang Yufei and Therese Alshammar – have been that fast in the 50 fly. But Walsh was also sensational on the back end of her race, which allowed the Team USA standout to wipe more than a quarter-second from her prior global standard.
The silver medalist in the event at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris and the reigning world champion, Walsh now owns the 13-fastest times in the history of the 100 butterfly. As impressive, Walsh is now more than a second faster than the No. 2 performer of all-time, Sjostrom. The Swedish star sits second in history, but her best time of 55.48 is 1.15 seconds adrift of what Walsh delivered at the Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Center.