3 days ago
Gretchen Walsh swims second-fastest 100m butterfly in history to win nationals
Gretchen Walsh swam the second-fastest 100m butterfly in history en route to winning the national title on Thursday.
Walsh clocked 54.76 seconds in Indianapolis, just off her own world record of 54.60. She broke the world record twice on May 3 at a Tyr Pro Series meet, plus at the Olympic Trials last June.
Walsh has the six fastest times in history overall. She is 88 hundredths faster than the second-fastest performer in history, Swede Sarah Sjöström (55.48 from the 2016 Olympics).
Walsh took 100m fly silver at the Paris Games, four hundredths behind Torri Huske (who was second on Thursday to join Walsh on the World Championships team in the event).
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At worlds in Singapore in July and August, Walsh will bid for her first individual title at a major international meet in a 50-meter pool.
She could be favored in three events: the 50m fly (where she is the second-fastest woman in history behind Sjöström), the 100m fly and the 50m freestyle (she's the world's fastest woman this year).
Sjöström, who won the 50m and 100m frees in Paris, is taking this season off while expecting her first child.
The Toyota U.S. Championships continue Friday with finals at 7 p.m. ET, live on Peacock.
In other events Thursday, Bobby Finke, an Olympic 800m and 1500m free champ, won the men's 400m individual medley over Carson Foster, the Olympic bronze medalist in the event.
Finke is not expected to swim the 400m IM at worlds given its final is in the same session as the 1500m final. He said after Thursday's win that he has a plan in mind and has to talk to his coaches.
Emma Weyant took the women's 400m IM by 2.41 seconds over Katie Grimes. Grimes and Weyant won silver and bronze in Paris behind world record holder Summer McIntosh of Canada.
Nick Zaccardi,
