World Championships, Day Seven Finals: Gretchen Walsh Dominates 50 Butterfly for Second Individual Gold
On Day Seven of the World Championships in Singapore, Gretchen Walsh carried the momentum from her 100-meter butterfly gold medal and walked away with another world title, this time in the 50-meter butterfly. Despite not being in peak condition, the American star finished with a time of 24.83, a half-second ahead of the field. She established herself as the favorite in the event after leading the prelims with a time of 25.22 and later swimming a 25.09 in the semifinals, securing the top seed for the final.
The 50-meter fly marks Walsh’s second individual title of the meet, as she won the 100-meter fly earlier in the week. Despite not being at her best health, she was just two-tenths shy of her lifetime best of 24.66, set in June.
“I’m very proud. That was a great swim,” Walsh said. “It feels great to feel like myself again in the water after a rough week. Two-time world champion. Can’t complain about that.”
Coming off an incredible World Short Course Championships, where she claimed seven titles and 11 world records, Walsh has further proven her ability to shine across multiple distances and formats.
The event looked different without world record holder Sarah Sjöström. The Swedish swimmer, who had won this event for six consecutive years, is expecting her first baby.
“My dream is to compete at the LA 2028 Olympics and make it to my sixth Olympic Games,” she shared on Instagram.
When she does return, she’ll have Walsh to contend with, as the former University of Virginia standout is quickly closing in on the 50-meter butterfly world record.
All three medalists in this event were pleased with their performances. Second-place finisher Alexandria Perkins of Australia set a new personal best of 25.31, and Belgium’s Roos Vanotterdijk, who earned her second medal of the meet, finished third.
“I’m really happy with that. It’s a bit of a relief to be honest because finals are always so nerve-wracking,” Perkins said. “But I’m really happy with the PB. I’m really glad I controlled my nerves and was able to put the race together better than last night.”
Vanotterdijk has furthered her global reputation.
“It gives me a lot of confidence,” she said. “I’m really happy with how the whole week went. All the steps forward that I made, all the progress that I made, I couldn’t be happier with this. It’s really, really something amazing.”
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