Gretchen Walsh Blasts No. 5 Performance in History in 100 Butterfly at Sette Colli Trophy
A little more than a week ago, Gretchen Walsh fired off her latest splendid swim in the 100-meter butterfly. Racing at the TYR Pro Series stop in Indianapolis, the American star registered a winning time of 55.00, the fifth-fastest mark in history (at the time) and an effort nearly a half-second faster than anyone else has ever gone in the event.
She was even better on Saturday night.
Jumpstarting the second night of finals at the Sette Colli International Trophy in Rome, Walsh destroyed the field in her prime event, going 54.82 for a championship record. That time is now the fifth-fastest in history and the fifth-quickest of Walsh’s career, a statistic that speaks to her dominance. Walsh touched the wall well ahead of runnerup Roos Vanotterdijk of Belgium, who checked in at 57.24.
Walsh’s outing in the 50 butterfly during Friday’s action suggested a massive performance was on the horizon at twice the distance. Behind a time of 24.51, the University of Virginia product shattered her own American record in the 50 fly and became the No. 2 performer in history, trailing only Sarah Sjostrom’s longstanding world record of 24.43. Indeed, the momentum generated from the sprint race carried forward.
Prepping for the Pan Pacific Championships later this summer in Irvine, California, Walsh now owns the 16-fastest performances of all-time in the 100 fly, including five under the 55-second barrier. The No. 2 performer in history, Sjostrom owns a best of 55.48. That time is more than a second adrift of Walsh’s world record of 54.33, which was delivered earlier this year at the Fort Lauderdale Open.