Gretchen Walsh began her quest for an Olympics berth in the splashiest way possible. The Virginia star broke a world record in the 100-meter butterfly to kick off Saturday’s first day of U.S. swim trials.
She hasn’t earned the Olympic spot, as yet. Rather, she broke the record in winning her semifinal heat.
Relive her moment, one of the biggest on the women’s sports scene this year
Her time of 55.18 seconds broke Sweden’s Sarah Sjöström’s time of 55.48, which she set at the 2016 Olympics.
It’s the first time an American swimmer has broken a world record at the Olympic trials since legendary Michael Phelps did so in 2008.
The Olympic swim trials started Saturday in Indianapolis. The competitors are swimming at Lucas Oil Stadium, the home of the Indianapolis Colts in the NFL.
If Walsh’s swim wasn’t thrilling enough, Katie Ledecky earned a spot on her fourth Olympics team as she makes a case that she’s the best female swimmer of all time. She won the trials in the 400 free. It’ll be the first of several races she’ll swim this coming week in Indy.
Walsh was riding a wave of momentum into the trials after her sensational NCAA meet back in March. She broke four NCAA records in four individual events. Of course, the NCAA meet is in short-course yards while the Olympics in Paris is in long-course meters.
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