It took 55 seconds for Gretchen Walsh to etch her name in the history books. On the opening night of the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials this year, Walsh became the fastest woman of all-time in the 100m butterfly, blasting a 55.18, lowering Sarah Sjostrom’s world record she had held since 2015.

Image Source: Gretchen Walsh competes in the Women's 100 Meter Butterfly final at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Swimming Trials (Al Bello/Getty Images)

That swim launched Walsh into the stratosphere. Walsh had always been good - she led a successful age group career in the United States, qualifying for the 2016 Olympic Trials as a 13-year-old, the youngest of the entire meet. In 2017, she nearly split 20 seconds on a relay in the 50 freestyle in short course yards as a 14-year-old.

At the 2019 World Junior Swimming Championships, Walsh won two individual gold medals and four relay golds as one of the captains of the United States junior team.

Image Source: Gretchen Walsh receives her gold medal in the Women's 100 Meter Butterfly Championship at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Swimming Trials (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

All that hype was building to what seemed like an inevitable spot on the Tokyo Olympic team in the 4x100m freestyle. The extra year put her in the best possible position for a top-six spot.

But in the heats of the 100m freestyle, she couldn’t put together the right race and finished 28th.

It was a disappointing showing, but things were turning around for her when she went to college at the University of Virginia for coach Todd DeSorbo.

In 2023, after her sophomore season, Walsh finally broke through in long course to make the Worlds team. She was the butterfly swimmer on the 4x100m medley relay team that won gold. She also won bronze in the 50m butterfly and finished eighth in the 100m.

It wasn’t the most outstanding debut on the world stage, but it was enough to instil confidence in her that she belonged and wanted to stay.

She was always swimming fast, but she couldn't quite put together the right race on the biggest stage.

Image Source: Valerie van Roon (NED), Gretchen Walsh (USA), Weitzeil (USA) and Anna Hopkin (GBR) compete in the Women's 50m Freestyle Heats at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka (Clive Rose/Getty Images)

“When I got to Worlds, I didn’t have these solidified goals that I had been keeping in my head for the past six, eight months,” Walsh said. “Going in there, I wasn’t mentally prepared, and probably not physically prepared either to back up what I had just done at Trials. I had a relatively disappointing Worlds. I wanted to be better than what I was at Trials but I was pretty massively far off.

“It was obviously disappointing but it was still a really good experience for me and I think I was just proud to be on that team. It gave me confidence just making that team for the upcoming Olympic year. Because if I hadn’t made a team before that year, I wouldn’t have had the confidence I had in 2024 and I don’t think I would have had that belief in myself because I would be like, ‘I’m still a rookie in so many ways.’”

After her international debut in 2023, Walsh set the short course yards pool on fire.

In her junior season with the University of Virginia, Walsh broke four individual NCAA records in one season - her most notable being the 47.42 in the 100 butterfly, as well as her 19.95 relay split in the 50 freestyle.

It started with a change in mindset.

“My goals shifted and my perspective on everything shifted. I decided I wasn’t going to have a repeat of 2021. I was going to make the Olympic team and I was going to medal at the Olympics and there was no back-up plan for me. I knew what I wanted to do and what I was capable of doing, so every single day in practice, I would use that as motivation.

“I would set intermediate goals, having NCAAs was a great way for me to have goals throughout the year that led up to Olympic Trials and the Olympics. I had a very successful season in the short course yards season. I accomplished so many goals of mine and so when it was time to fully turn to the long course pool, I was still mentally locked and loaded on these goals I had that I had been thinking about for so long. I think it was a couple years of processing what had happened in 2021 and learning to overcome that and what I needed to do to get back to where I was in 2019.”

Image Source: Valerie van Roon (NED), Gretchen Walsh (USA), Weitzeil (USA) and Anna Hopkin (GBR) compete in the Women's 50m Freestyle Heats at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka (Clive Rose/Getty Images)

When she broke the world record at the Olympic Trials, it was a breakthrough in so many more ways.

“That made me realize the role I have in this sport, and the fact I’m capable of being one of the greatest, which is so weird to say,” Walsh told World Aquatics. “That time is the fastest time a woman has ever gone in the 100m butterfly, ever, period, anywhere. To even say that is so cool to me and it makes me realize I can do these things that many people think are impossible.”

Paris in the spotlight

Image Source: Regan Smith, Lilly King and Gretchen Walsh of Team United States celebrate after winning gold in a World Record time in the Women's 4x100m Medley Relay Final at the Paris 2024 Olympics (Adam Pretty/Getty Images)

At Walsh’s first Olympics in Paris, she took on a heavy program, finishing the week with 12 swims in total. It was a big ask for someone who had gotten so good so quickly, but she was prepared and followed through with clutch relay performances and an individual medal.

“I was very proud of myself,” Walsh said of her swims in Paris. “I think swimming in that environment was very new to me. I know that people are always like ‘US Olympic Trials is the most stressful meet’ but I feel like I had this new pressure I was putting on myself because I was coming off of such a successful Trials, breaking a world record. I had new weight on my shoulders and that was hard to cope with in the moment. During training camp, I was very confident that I was going to go faster at the Olympics, and the fact I didn’t was a little disappointing. I was like, ‘ugh that’s too bad.’ But I know in myself that I can and I know that in the future, I will. There is definitely still room for improvement and that’s exciting for me. I know I’m capable of more. Maybe it didn’t happen this past summer, it might happen this summer.”

Walsh was leading the 100m butterfly final for 85 meters, before she tightened up and got out-touched by fellow American Torri Huske.

“I was a favorite. I got second… it happens. But that was the biggest honor, wearing that silver medal and getting to hear the national anthem on the podium with Torri, seeing my parents during the victory lap around the pool. That was the coolest moment in my career probably and just really, really special. When I touched the wall, I was like, ‘ugh four one-hundredths, shoot, it’s close.’ It didn’t end up mattering to me so I think that was my favorite individual race and the one I’m most proud of.”

For Walsh, stepping up in the big moment had always been a challenge. Putting together the right race on the day had been something she had been working on for years leading up to 2024. It's one thing to swim fast in your home pool, but doing it on the biggest stage when the whole world is watching is another hurdle to climb in itself.

“I learned as a sprinter, I need to learn how to be comfortable with being uncomfortable. That was a really big slogan in my life for a while because I would get scared of the pain that would come with the races I was doing.

“For me, switching that mentality was the first step in getting to where I am now, and the second step was having the confidence to not make any kind of back-up plan - to make the goal my reality.”

After Paris, Walsh took a lengthy break from the pool. She traveled to Portugal with her family, celebrated Carson Foster's wedding in Austin, Texas, and got back in the pool after four full weeks out of the water.

And she picked up right where she left off.

In a short course meters dual meet with the University of Florida in October, Walsh swam a non-scoring 100m IM and broke the world record, and set American records in the 50m and 100m backstroke as well as the 50m freestyle.

“I was surprised,” Walsh said. “I didn’t know the world records and what was a good time. I’m so new to short course meters. That was a total surprise, I was so happy. I’m not a breaststroker but I surprise myself whenever I do well in a race that involves breaststroke.”

In her last year on the team at Virginia, Walsh is hoping for one more special season in short course yards.

“It got me really excited about NCAA season because this is my last chance. I’m really excited to break some barriers, hopefully, this year. I have a lot of goals and I think coming off such a successful summer allowed me to not be scared to make some of those impossible goals.”

Budapest Calling

Image Source: Athletes training in the Duna Arena competition pool before the start of the World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m) in Budapest (Martin Csanadi/World Aquatics)

But first, she has the World Short Course Championships this week in Budapest, Hungary, where she is set to race four individual events and a myriad of relays.

Walsh is entered in the 100m IM this week in Budapest, but may not be racing due to a scheduling conflict with the 100m butterfly.

Regardless, she is excited to race the 50m and 100m freestyle, as well as the 50m and 100m butterfly in her first World Short Course Championships.

The Hungarian fans will certainly be expecting something magical from the athletes this week, and Walsh is one of the main draws.

“I think I can give them that special wow factor. I haven’t looked too deep into the times, because I really am trying to execute these races because it’s going to be my first time really competing short course meters in a more refined environment. I’m going to take it one race at a time. I’m definitely hoping to put on a show.”

Walsh has put a little more emphasis on short course meters this season, as she will be racing in the World Short Course Championships alongside four of her Virginia teammates - Douglass, her sister Alex, as well as Jack Aikins and Emma Weber.

“I’m so excited. The Hungarians love swimming. I’m really excited to go back to that pool, the Duna Arena is beautiful. I have really great memories of being at that pool so I’m kind of excited to be reminded what it was like being 16 racing there, a little nostalgia. I’m really looking forward to finally racing short course meters on a world stage like this. I’m hoping to do some pretty cool things hopefully and I think it’s going to be a really great experience. I am excited for the energy and I’m hoping it brings me home in all my races and gets me to the wall, and hopefully we see some records go down.”