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Virginia's Gretchen Walsh Breaks World Record in 100 Butterfly at US Trials

Matt Newton

Gretchen Walsh reacts after setting a world record during the 100 butterfly semifinals Saturday, June 15, 2024, during the first day of competition for the U.S. Olympic Team Swimming Trials at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
Gretchen Walsh reacts after setting a world record during the 100 butterfly semifinals Saturday, June 15, 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

Virginia swimmer Gretchen Walsh broke the world record in the 100-meter butterfly on the opening night of the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials, finishing in 55.18 seconds in a semifinal heat on Saturday night at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Walsh, who is a rising senior at UVA, became the first swimmer to set a world record at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials since 2008.

In her first swim on Saturday in the morning prelims, Walsh swam the 100m butterfly in 55.94 seconds, a time which broke the UVA record and ranked second in American history. On Saturday night, Walsh bettered that mark by nearly eight-tenths of a second, shattering Sarah Sjostrom's mark of 55.48, which had stood as the world record since 2016.

The lively crowd inside Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the Indianapolis Colts and the first football stadium to host the U.S. Olympic Trials, exploded at the sight of Walsh's record-breaking swim, almost as a memorable of a reaction as Walsh's jaw-dropping realization at what she had accomplished.

Walsh helped Virginia win its fourth-consecutive national title this past season, winning three individual titles, breaking the American records in each of those events, and swimming as part of four title-winning relay teams.

Along with fellow Cavalier Claire Curzan, who qualified for the finals in the event as the No. 5 seed, Gretchen Walsh will look to secure her spot on Team USA for the 2024 Summer Olympics as the top seed in the 100 butterfly finals on Sunday night.

Former UVA swimmer Paige Madden ('21) finished second to Katie Ledecky in the 400m freestyle, touching in 4:02.08 to clinch a spot in her second-straight Olympic Games.

Graduate Noah Nichols qualified for the finals in the 100 breast, finishing in 59.76 to advance to the finals on Sunday.

Virginia is represented with 26 competitors from the 2023-2024 UVA swimming & diving roster, three former Cavaliers, and nine incoming first-years at the 2024 U.S. Swimming Olympic Team Trials. The meet will run from June 15-23 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Read more on how to follow Virginia's swimmers at the U.S Olympic Trials here.

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Matt Newton
MATT NEWTON

Matt launched Virginia Cavaliers On SI in August of 2021 and has since served as the site's publisher and managing editor, covering all 23 NCAA Division I sports teams at the University of Virginia. He is from Downingtown, Pennsylvania and graduated from UVA in May of 2021.