World Championships: U.S. Absences Continue with Gretchen Walsh, Josh Matheny Scratches
The U.S.’s nightmare World Championships added two more chapters Thursday morning, with the announcement that Gretchen Walsh will scratch the 100 freestyle and Josh Matheny is out of the 200 breaststroke.
The United States has been fighting a wave of cases of acute gastroenteritis in Singapore, picked up during their staging camp in Thailand. The number of individual scratches is now at four, joining Claire Weinstein in the 400 free and Torri Huske in the 100 fly, plus a few relay alterations. That includes in a mixed medley relay that bombed out of prelims in 10th place.
Other swimmers have continued with their programs but had uncharacteristically slow times that show the effect of illness. Others have recovered, such as Weinstein, who won a bronze medal in the 200 free. Huske remained entered in the 100 free on Thursday after a tough swim in the mixed medley relay.
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While USA Swimming has not offered status updates on any individuals, they have stuck to the line that the worst is over in terms of the illness. Scratches on Day 5 of the meet would seem to indicate otherwise.
Walsh was scratched from the final of the 400 freestyle relay early in the meet, with Erin Gemmell stepping in as the favorites earned silver behind Australia. Walsh went a meet record 54.73 seconds to win the 100 fly. Her scratch scuppers a battle with 200 free champ Mollie O’Callaghan. Walsh was eighth in the 100 free at the Paris Olympics.
Matheny finished seventh in the men’s 100 breaststroke on Monday. He was one of the puzzling absences from the mixed medley relay on Wednesday, with Campbell McKean inserted instead.
