Gretchen Walsh Secures Spot in First Olympics With Trials Win in 100 Butterfly

Matt Newton | Jun 17, 2024

Gretchen Walsh celebrates after winning the 100-meter butterfly final Sunday, June 16, 2024, during the first day of competition for the U.S. Olympic Team Swimming Trials at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. / Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY

It's been an unforgettable 24-hour period for Gretchen Walsh, but it's hopefully just the start of what could be a legendary summer.

One night after she set the swimming world on fire by breaking an eight-year-old world record and becoming the first American since 2008 to break any world record at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, doing so in a semifinal heat, Walsh cemented her spot in her first Olympic Games by winning the finals of the 100-meter butterfly on Sunday night at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

One day after setting a new world record, Gretchen Walsh secures her place at the #ParisOlympics with a win in the women's 100m butterfly! 💪#SwimTrials24 pic.twitter.com/eYQiG8SB9T

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) June 17, 2024

While it wasn't as fast (barely) or as shocking as her record-breaking 55.18-second swim on Saturday night in the semifinals, Walsh's performance on Sunday to win the event was the most important moment of her swimming career to this point, as it secured a spot in her first-ever Summer Olympic Games.

Walsh touched in 55.31, ahead of a highly-competitive field of swimmers that included Torri Huske (55.52), Regan Smith (55.62), and UVA teammate Claire Curzan (57.47). Of those swimmers, only Walsh and Huske guaranteed themselves a spot on Team USA's Olympic roster. Walsh now owns the two fastest times ever recorded in the women's 100-meter butterfly.

"Making the team was the biggest goal, getting a world record was absolute insanity."

Gretchen Walsh reacts to qualifying for the #ParisOlympics! #SwimTrials24 pic.twitter.com/9YPV8WP7Qb

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) June 17, 2024

Also on Sunday, three Virginia swimmers swam personal-bests in the 100-meter breaststroke to qualify for the finals on Monday. Emma Weber won her heat and placed third overall with a time of 1:06.48, Alex Walsh was sixth in 1:06.87 and Ella Nelson was right behind her in seventh with 1:07.41. Weber, Walsh, and Nelson will swim in the finals on Monday night.

Former Wahoo Paige Madden, who already secured her spot in her second Olympics by placing second to Katie Ledecky in the 400-meter freestyle, will swim in the finals of the 200-meter freestyle after she finished third in the semifinals with a personal-best time of 1:56.36.

The UVA men have so far had two swimmers qualify for the finals. Noah Nichols made the finals in the 100-meter breaststroke and finished fifth in those finals with a time of 56.69. Jack Aikins twice broke the UVA record in the 100-meter backstroke, doing so in the prelims and then the semifinals, where he placed third in 53.23 to advance to Monday's finals.