Gretchen Walsh to Make High-Stakes Olympic Debut

Gretchen Walsh -- Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

Gretchen Walsh to Make High-Stakes Olympic Debut

Three years ago, Gretchen Walsh watched from back in the United States as older sister Alex raced for an Olympic medal in the women’s 200 IM. Alex led that final with 50 meters remaining before taking silver behind Yui Ohashi. Now, as Gretchen and Alex both prepare to race for the U.S. team in Paris, the younger sister will be handling a huge load as one of the top sprinters in the country.

At the U.S. Olympic Trials last month, Gretchen set the first world record of her career in the 100 butterfly semifinals and returned the next night to edge out 2022 world champion Torri Huske in the final. She later finished third in the 100 freestyle, qualifying for Olympic 400 free relay duties, and she later added an individual swim in the event when University of Virginia teammate Kate Douglass withdrew from the individual race. Walsh also finished second in the 50 free.

That’s three individual events and up to three relays for the 21-year-old over the next nine days, and the opening day of competition is likely her busiest: Walsh will race the first two rounds of the 100 fly, setting up a showdown against three world-title-winning swimmers whose best times are not far off the new world record of 55.12, Huske, China’s Zhang Yufei and Canada’s Maggie Mac Neil, the defending gold medalist.

One hour after her semifinal swim, Walsh will join the U.S. women’s 400 free relay squad, which is favored to for a podium finish (as has been the case at every previous Olympics in which the Americans have fielded a time) but a longshot for gold against the three-time defending champion Australians. Walsh might also race in prelims as the third-fastest swimmer in the event, but the U.S. women’s coaching staff led by Todd DeSorbo, Walsh’s personal coach with the Cavaliers, could opt to rest her given the demanding racing schedule.

Gretchen Walsh (right) with Simone Manuel at the U.S. Olympic Trials — Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

That’s a huge jump for a swimmer who just one year ago shed the label of short-course specialist. Before June 2023, Walsh was a multi-time NCAA champion and American-record holder in short course but yet to reach the senior international level. Struggles in the 100 free at successive selection meets had left her with a mental block to overcome in that event.

She reached the 2023 World Championships in Fukuoka with an impressive meet at U.S. Nationals, but her results in Fukuoka were a mixed bag: individual bronze in the 50 fly but eighth in the 100 fly, out of the final in the 50 free and well off her personal-best pace in the 400 free relay.

Round two at the Olympics ramps up the pressure, particularly with Walsh now owning a world record, but she and DeSorbo entered the season with a plan for the moment. Speaking with Swimming World in April, DeSorbo equated the Trials-to-Olympics transition as similar to one Walsh had become accustomed to in college swimming, going from the conference championships in February to the national meet in March.

“Her and I talked about that a lot after last summer because when she got back. I don’t know I’d say she was disappointed with her performance at Worlds. I think she would say that she wanted more. The challenge for her was that the whole goal was to make the team. The goal was never to go and medal. The goal was to just make the team. Most often, in the U.S., if you make the team, you’re in medal contention,” DeSorbo said.

“It’s a lot more like the ACC-to-NCAA jump mentality. ‘Let’s do what you do to make it, and when you do, let’s go do bigger things.’ It’s hard because you can’t just overlook Trials because nobody’s guaranteed. But I think that experience last summer is going to serve her well going into this summer and just be mentally prepared.”

During the college season, Walsh executed that transition beautifully. In short course yards, he swam the fastest times ever in the 50 free, 100 fly, 100 backstroke and 100 free at the ACC Championships, and she returned at the NCAA Championships to eclipse those marks in three out of four events, knocking off two tenths in the 50 free, more than three-quarters of a second in a groundbreaking 100 fly performance and three tenths in the 100 free.

Repeating that improvement in Paris would put put Walsh in position for a huge medal haul, although it would be silly to discount the high-pressured realities of Olympic competition. Walsh will hope the set the tone for a strong week as she hits the Olympic pool for the first time at full speed.

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