Walsh breaks American record in 50m butterfly
Gretchen Walsh improved on her own American record and became the second fastest woman to swim the 50 metre butterfly after Swede Sarah Sjostrom by clocking 24.93 seconds at the TYR Pro Swim Series meet in Florida on Friday.
The 31-year-old Sjostrom holds the 50m butterfly world record with a time of 24.43, set during the Swedish Championships in July 2014, and has never been beaten in the event at world championships since 2015.
However, 22-year-old Walsh has emerged as one to watch ahead of the event's debut at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
"I think that the second woman to ever be under 25 (seconds) is a pretty cool stat. I have definitely had my eyes set on that," Walsh told USA swimming.
"I'm really happy with the swim. There is definitely room to get better ... I love following in the footsteps of Sarah Sjostrom (in the women's 50m butterfly), she's such an idol to me, and it's cool to be in the same sentence as her."
Walsh took silver in the 100m butterfly behind fellow American Torri Huske at the Paris Games and secured team gold in the women's and mixed 4×100m medley relays.
Sjostrom, who swept the 50m and 100m freestyle golds in Paris, is taking the season off as she awaits the birth of her first child, but is targeting a return to the pool at the LA Games. REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Straits Times
Jack Grealish left out of Manchester City squad for Club World Cup
Jack Grealish remains City's record signing, but, has fallen down the pecking order over the past two seasons. PHOTO: REUTERS MANCHESTER, United Kingdom - Jack Grealish's future at Manchester City was plunged into further doubt on June 11 after the England international was left out of Pep Guardiola's squad for the Club World Cup. Despite City naming just 27 players from a possible 35 for the tournament beginning in the United States on June 14, Grealish was omitted alongside former captain Kyle Walker. All four of the club's new signings this week - Rayan Ait-Nouri, Rayan Cherki, Tijani Reijnders and Marcus Bettinelli - are included. Ballon d'Or winner Rodri is also selected after making his comeback from a long-term knee injury just before the end of the Premier League season. Grealish, who remains City's record signing after a £100 million move from Aston Villa in 2021, has fallen down the pecking order over the past two seasons. He made just seven Premier League starts in the 2024/25 campaign and was notably not summoned from the bench as City went down to a 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final last month. The 29-year-old still has two years left to run on his City contract and his reported £300,000-a-week (S$500,000) wages are a barrier to finding a potential suitor. Guardiola threatened in May he could leave the club if the size of his squad is not cut before the new season begins. Grealish is just one of a number of expected exits, along with Walker. The 35-year-old spent the second half of last season on loan at AC Milan, but the Italian giants have not taken up an option to buy. City begin their Club World Cup campaign against Moroccan side Wydad Casablanca in Philadelphia on June 19 before facing further group games against Al Ain of Abu Dhabi and Juventus. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Straits Times
‘No faking' about Oakmont says injured Tiger Woods ahead of US Open
Tiger Woods warned US Open golfers in a social media video on June 11 about the formidable Oakmont course.. PHOTO: REUTERS 'No faking' about Oakmont says injured Tiger Woods ahead of US Open OAKMONT, United States - Tiger Woods, a 15-time major winner sidelined after rupturing his left Achilles tendon in March, warned US Open golfers in a social media video on June 11 there's 'no faking' about Oakmont. The 49-year-old American, a three-time US Open champion, underwent surgery to repair the injury but has no timetable for his return to competitive golf as he misses the US Open for the fourth time in five years. In an Instagram post, Woods gave this week's US Open field some advice about coping with the deep rough, tricky bunkers and fast greens of Oakmont, as well as a warning. 'You just have to hit the golf ball better,' Woods said. 'There is no faking about Oakmont. 'The golf course is big, yes, but it's just – there's no way around it. You just have to hit the golf ball well and it favors longer hitters, just because of the degrees, the complexes.' Being in the fairway to properly approach the greens is crucial as well, Woods said. 'It just helps so much to be coming with a shorter iron, to be able to sock the ball,' he said. 'It's about missing the ball on correct spots... because if you don't, it's horrible.' Woods shared second at the 2007 US Open at Oakmont but missed the 2016 edition of the event on the same course following back surgery the year before. Woods has not made the cut at the US Open since he shared 21st in 2019, the same year he won his most recent major title at the Masters. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Straits Times
Scheffler and DeChambeau set for ultimate U.S. Open test at Oakmont
Jun 11, 2025; Oakmont, Pennsylvania, USA; Bryson DeChambeau plays his shot from the 11th tee during a practice round for the U.S. Open golf tournament at Oakmont Country Club. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images REUTERS FILE PHOTO: Masters champion Scottie Scheffler hits off the first tee as he starts a practice round at the Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, U.S., April 6, 2025. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo OAKMONT, Pennsylvania - Scottie Scheffler will be the clear favourite when the U.S. Open begins on Thursday at Oakmont Country Club where the devilish course is sure to torment many of the world's best players vying for the year's third major title. There are 156 players in the field this week but it is the familiar trio of world number one Scheffler, defending champion Bryson DeChambeau and Masters winner Rory McIlroy who are commanding much of the attention at Oakmont. Scheffler enters the U.S. Open in stellar form having secured three wins in his last four starts. His driving proficiency and unflappable temperament make him well suited to be in contention come Sunday. The notoriously challenging Oakmont, which is hosting the U.S. Open for a record 10th time, will demand pinpoint accuracy off the tee given the five-inch rough lining the narrow fairways that lead to lightning fast greens on the par-70 layout. "There's not really many areas where you step on the tee box and you're like, hey, I can miss it right here, hey, I can shade towards the left side of the fairway because right is really bad," said Scheffler. "Actually, if you hit it in the right rough, you're probably not going to get it to the green; if you hit it in the left rough, you're probably not going to get it to the green. So might as well try and split the difference there and hit it in the middle." A win for Scheffler would put him alongside Phil Mickelson and Jordan Spieth as the only active players with three legs of the career Grand Slam of golf's four majors and give him a shot at completing the feat at the July 17-20 British Open. FAN FAVOURITE Big-hitting DeChambeau, who went close at the year's first two majors, is looking to become the first repeat U.S. Open winner since Brooks Koepka in 2018. DeChambeau, one of 14 LIV Golf players in the field this week, is a fan favourite and fully expects to use their energy to help him get across the finish line and collect a third major title. "It's been a lot of fun just experiencing what the fans are giving me. It's so much energy," said DeChambeau, who briefly held the final-round lead at the Masters in April and finished runner-up at the PGA Championship last month. "The only reason why I'm still here with this much energy is because of them, and even last week (at the LIV Golf event) in Virginia, the crowds were really great and pumping me on. "Am I tired? For sure. But am I excited? I'm more excited than I am tired." 'BEST ATTITUDE' World number two McIlroy, who completed the career Grand Slam at this year's Masters but has struggled since, will be hoping to get his mojo back but enters the week fresh off his first missed cut of the season. The Northern Irishman, a U.S. Open runner-up the last two years, has been errant off the tee ever since being forced to switch drivers at the PGA Championship where his preferred one was considered non-conforming following a routine inspection. Despite a less-than-ideal build-up to the U.S. Open, McIlroy pronounced himself ready for a test that will challenge both the physical and mental parts of players' games. "It's very penal if you miss. Sometimes it's penal if you don't miss," McIlroy said of Oakmont's rough. "But the person with the most patience and the best attitude this week is the one that's going to win." Among the other favourites this week are British Open champion Xander Schauffele, Spaniard Jon Rahm, Swede Ludvig Aberg and Ireland's Shane Lowry. Six-times major winner Mickelson, a record six-times U.S. Open runner-up who will celebrate his 55th birthday on Monday, needs a win this week to complete the career Grand Slam. This is the final year of Mickelson's five-year exemption into the U.S. Open for winning the 2021 PGA Championship and he has said this could be his last start at the major. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.