He almost managed to make us forget the absence of Léon Marchand in Budapest. Gretchen Walsh, 21, is the undisputed star of the 2024 World Cup in Budapest. Standing 1.85 meters tall, the University of Virginia student has won seven world titles and broken eleven world records, including nine individual and two in the relay.
It all started at the Nashville Aquatic Club in her hometown, where she performed several times. To the point of becoming the youngest swimmer to compete for a place at the Rio Olympics in 2016, when she was only 13 years old. Two years later, at age 15, she became the youngest woman to break the 22-second barrier in the 50-meter freestyle.
Two titles in the relay at Paris 2024
She shares this passion for swimming with her older sister, Alex Walsh (23), also a professional swimmer. Both wanted to participate in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, after Gretchen’s failure in Tokyo in 2021. Qualification in hand, Gretchen Walsh then distinguished herself with two gold medals (4x100m medley and women’s medley) and two silver (100m butterfly and 4x100m freestyle). Thanks to her top-level performances in the long course, she has gradually managed to forget her status as a “pool swimmer”, a nickname reserved for short course specialists that is not necessarily laudatory.
Gretchen Walsh (third from left) won Olympic gold in Paris in the 4×100 medley. Abaca/Icon Sport
Back in the small pool in Budapest, Gretchen Walsh, in five days of competition, was the best in the freestyle (50 m, 100 m and 4×100 m) and in the butterfly (50 m and 100 m), the two disciplines in which she is a specialist. It should be noted that he won the 100 meter butterfly even though he had never swum this specialty in a major competition. The American also stood out in the 100 meter medley relay and individually, where she also improved her record.
«Queen Walsh»
Gretchen Walsh, or “Regina Walsh” as the spectators at the Duna Arena in Budapest call her, has become, in a week, a reference in short course swimming. Becomes the first swimmer to win 7 short course World Championship titles.
Whoever says record, says financial compensation. For each world record, Gretchen Walsh pocketed $25,000 from the International Swimming Federation. A boon for those who regret the lack of compensation in the sector: “I like the fact that records are celebrated with economic prizes, because swimming is not a very profitable sport. »
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