Gretchen Walsh earns breakthrough swimming world title with second-fastest time in history
Walsh clocked 54.73 seconds at the World Swimming Championships, just off her own record of 54.60 from May 3. She owns the top eight times in history.
She prevailed Monday over Belgian Roos Vanotterdijk (a distant 1.11 seconds behind) and Australian Alexandria Perkins for the U.S.' first gold medal on the second day of the eight-day meet in Singapore.
Walsh added her first individual long course title to an already stacked resume: four Olympic medals in Paris (including two relay golds), 11 world records and seven gold medals at the world short course championships last December and nine individual NCAA titles in four years at Virginia.
SWIMMING WORLDS: Results | Broadcast Schedule
Walsh made the U.S. team for worlds in four individual events and is a medal contender in all of them. She still has the 50m fly and 50m and 100m frees left, plus possible relay duty.
Walsh was one of the majority of U.S. swim team members affected to varying degrees by acute gastroenteritis, or a stomach bug, leading into worlds.
On the first day of worlds Sunday, she said she was feeling tired but trying to make the best of annoying situation.
After those comments, she later Sunday swam a 100m fly semifinal, then scratched out of the 4x100m freestyle final that took place about an hour later.
Also Monday, China's Qin Haiyang overtook Olympic gold medalist Nicolo Martinenghi of Italy by 35 hundredths to take the men's 100m breaststroke.
Qin, who swept the 50m, 100m and 200m breaststrokes at the 2023 Worlds, returned to the podium after placing seventh and tied for 10th individually in Paris.
Worlds continue all week with preliminary heats at 10 p.m. ET and finals at 7 a.m., live on Peacock.
Tuesday's finals are expected to feature Katie Ledecky in the 1500m freestyle, a race she has never lost in a major final, and another 100m backstroke duel between Australian Kaylee McKeown and American Regan Smith.
Nick Zaccardi,
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