Walsh Matches US Record with 23.91 Second Swim

INDIANAPOLIS: At the 2025 US national swimming championship on Sunday, Gretchen Walsh achieved a remarkable feat in the women’s 50m freestyle final, demonstrating superb speed and skill to equal the American record.

In a highly competitive race against Olympic champion Torri Huske, American record holder Kate Douglass, and Simone Manuel, Walsh surged to the front, achieving a time of 23.91 seconds. This equals Douglass’s American record and surpasses Abbey Weitzeil’s US Open and meet record of 24.00.

Huske followed closely behind, finishing in 23.98 seconds. She also dipped below the 24-second mark for the first time and surpassed the previous US Open record.

Douglass secured third place with a time of 24.04 seconds, just ahead of Manuel, who finished in 24.39 in a very fast final.

Walsh’s impressive performance comes after her victory in the 100m butterfly last week, where she clocked 54.76 seconds.

Although she narrowly missed her own world record of 54.60 — achieved at the Fort Lauderdale Pro Swim Series last month — her time remains the second-fastest ever. Walsh now holds the top seven fastest times in this event.

These outstanding swims have earned her spots in two individual events at the World Championships in Singapore, scheduled from July 11 to August 3.

Earlier in the week, she also claimed victory in the 50m butterfly, achieving the fourth-fastest time ever in that discipline.

Elsewhere on the final day, Katharine Berkoff delivered an exceptional swim in the 50m backstroke, finishing in 26.97 seconds — the second-fastest time ever.

With this swim, she broke Regan Smith’s American record. Smith finished second in 27.20 seconds.

Lilly King, a highly accomplished swimmer in US history and a three-time Olympic gold medalist, continued her final season with a gold medal in the 50m breaststroke, finishing in 29.88 seconds.