Swimming-Walsh breaks American record in 50m butterfly
Paris 2024 Olympics - Swimming - Women's 4 x 100m Medley Relay Final - Paris La Defense Arena, Nanterre, France - August 04, 2024. Gretchen Walsh of United States in action during the race REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq/File Photo
(Reuters) -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.
(Reporting by Shifa Jahan in Bengaluru; Editing by Kim Coghill)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
What's big, glowing and no longer Olympic? Paris has the answer
The Paris Games may be over, but the flame is still rising - just don't call it Olympic. The helium-powered hot-air balloon that lit up the French capital's skyline during the 2024 Games is making a dramatic comeback to the Tuileries Gardens, reborn as the "Paris Cauldron.' Thanks to an agreement with the International Olympic Committee, the renamed marvel will now lift off into the sky each summer evening - a ghostly echo of last year's opening ceremony - from June 21 to Sept. 14, for the next three years. Gone is the official "Olympic' branding - forbidden under IOC reuse rules - but not the spectacle. The 30-meter-tall (98-foot-tall) floating ring, dreamed up by French designer Mathieu Lehanneur and powered by French energy company EDF, simulates flame without fire: LED lights, mist jets and high-pressure fans create a luminous halo that hovers above the city at dusk, visible from rooftops across the capital. "It's one of those monuments in Paris that could stay,' said Laurent Broéze, a local architect pausing in the gardens on Thursday. "It was set up temporarily, but a bit like the Eiffel Tower, it makes sense for it to return. It's a bit of a shame they want to take it down later, but maybe it could be installed somewhere else, I don't know.' Though it stole the show in 2024, the cauldron's original aluminum-and-balloon build was only meant to be temporary - not engineered for multiyear outdoor exposure. A view of a sculpture of the biblical Cain by Henri Vidal next to the Olympic cauldron and its balloon on the day of a visit by French President Emmanuel Macron, at the Tuileries Garden in Paris, France, 12 June 2025. YOAN VALAT/Pool via REUTERS To transform it into a summer staple, engineers reinforced it: The aluminum ring and tether points were rebuilt with tougher components to handle rain, sun and temperature changes over several seasons. Aérophile, Paris's tethered balloon specialist, redesigned the winch and tether system to meet aviation rules, allowing safe operation in winds up to 20-25 kph (12-15 mph). Hydraulic, electrical, and misting systems were fortified - not only to ensure smooth nightly flights but to endure months of wear and tear untested on the original design. These retrofits shift the cauldron from a fragile, one-off spectacle to a resilient, summerlong landmark - prepared to withstand everything Paris summers can throw at it. The structure first dazzled during the Paris 2024 Games , ignited on July 26 by Olympic champions Marie-José Pérec and Teddy Riner. Over just 40 days, it drew more than 200,000 visitors, according to officials. Now perched in the centre of the drained Tuileries pond, the cauldron's return is part of French President Emmanuel Macron's effort to preserve the Games' spirit in the city, as Paris looks ahead to the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. Visitors have already begun to gather. "Beautiful,' said Javier Smith, a tourist from Texas. "And the place where it's going to be, or is sitting now, it's beautiful. All these beautiful buildings, the Louvre, all that is fantastic.' Access is free and unticketed. The cauldron will be on display from morning to night, igniting with light from 10 a.m. and lifting off each evening after the garden closes - 10:30 p.m. in June and July, with earlier times through September. It will float above the city for several hours before quietly descending around 1 a.m. The "flame,' while entirely electric, still conjures a sense of Olympic poetry. "Yes, we came for a little outing focused on the statues related to mythology in the Tuileries Garden,' said Chloé Solana, a teacher visiting with her students. "But it's true we're also taking advantage of the opportunity, because last week the Olympic cauldron wasn't here yet, so it was really nice to be able to show it to the students.' The cauldron's ascent may become a new rhythm of the Parisian summer, with special flights planned for Bastille Day on July 14 and the anniversary of the 2024 opening ceremony on July 26. It no longer carries the Olympic name. But this phoenix-like cauldron is still lifting Paris into the clouds - and into memory. – AP
The Star
3 hours ago
- The Star
Olympics on steroids
CITIUS, Altius, Fortius – Communiter ('Faster, Higher, Stronger – Together) - that's the Olympics motto. But it comes with a caveat. No cheating, no doping. Imagine if the caveat was lifted, and it was anything goes in sport. That is the vision of the The Enhanced Games. This bold, controversial, and futuristic take on global sport is now being planned for 2026 in Las Vegas. It positions itself as an alternative to the Olympics, but one that embraces performance-enhancing drugs and cutting-edge science in the pursuit of human excellence. Starting big: The competition will feature three core disciplines – swimming, athletics, and weightlifting. At the heart of the concept is a provocative question: What if athletes were allowed to use scientific and medical advancements, without restrictions, to push the limits of performance? According to the organisers, the Enhanced Games aims to 'pioneer a new era in sport', one where the benefits of technology, pharmacology, and biotechnology are not frowned upon, but instead celebrated as tools to elevate human potential. ALSO READ: None of our athletes involved, say NSC director-general Jefri The competition will feature three core disciplines - swimming, athletics, and weightlifting, with more events potentially added as momentum builds. The swimming programme includes the 50m and 100m freestyle, as well as the 50m and 100m butterfly. On the track, fans can expect the 100m sprint, 100m hurdles (women), and 110m hurdles (men). In the weightlifting arena, the snatch and clean and jerk will be the mainstays. The buzz intensified after a test event saw Greek swimmer Kristian Gkolomeev clock a blistering 20.89s in the men's 50m freestyle - 0.02 seconds faster than the current world record. While the time won't be officially recognised, it has already sparked debate across sporting circles. Then, there is the financial lure. Athletes at the Enhanced Games could stand to earn up to US$500,000 (RM2.1 mil) per event, with additional bonuses for those who break existing world records, official or not. But while the idea is pitched as a revolution in fairness and transparency, critics argue that it risks glorifying doping and undermining decades of clean sport advocacy. Proponents counter that with proper medical oversight and innovation, a new standard of athletic performance can be safely achieved. With the countdown to 2026 underway, the Enhanced Games is becoming one of the most talked-about – and divisive concepts – in modern sport.
The Star
3 hours ago
- The Star
Football club investor Eagle files for US IPO, Bloomberg News reports
FILE PHOTO: The logo for the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is displayed at the NYSE in New York City, U.S., July 6, 2023. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo (Reuters) -Eagle Football Holdings, one of the most active investors in global football clubs, has confidentially filed for a U.S. initial public offering, Bloomberg News reported on Friday. Reuters could not immediately confirm the report. The France-based company submitted a draft registration statement to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the report added, citing a company statement. The firm has been working with UBS Group AG on the potential IPO, the report said. Eagle Football, run by U.S. businessman John Textor, holds stakes in multiple football clubs including Olympique Lyonnais, Crystal Palace and Brazil's Botafogo. The SEC and Eagle Football did not immediately respond to request for comment outside regular business hours. (Reporting by Ananya Palyekar in Bengaluru; Editing by Leslie Adler)
