FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA – MAY 01: Gretchen Walsh wins the Women’s 100m Freestyle Final Heat 2 at … More
On day three of the TYR Pro Swim Series stop in Fort Lauderdale, Gretchen Walsh became the second-fastest woman in history in 50 fly. Dominating the event from the start, Walsh posted a time of 24.93 to claim the win. Her performance helped her lower her previous American record of 25.11, set in 2023. The Olympic silver medalist in the 100 fly became the second person to break the 25-second barrier, following Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom, who holds the world record at 24.43. Walsh was followed by teammates Kate Douglass (25.39) and Regan Smith (25.63), respectively.
Notably, in a post-race interview, Walsh candidly admitted she had “definitely eyes set on” breaking the 25-second barrier. The 22-year-old also hopes to participate in the event on home soil at the 2028 LA Olympics. In February, the International Olympic Committee announced the addition of 50-meter stroke events (butterfly, backstroke, and breaststroke) to the program beginning from the 2028 Games.
At the U.S. trials to be held in June, Walsh will also certainly aim to prioritize qualifying for the 50-fly event. As, the swimmer will look forward to upgrade her bronze medal (from the 2023 Fukuoka World Championships) at this year’s Championships meet. Furthermore, Sjostrom, a six-time defending world champion who holds the top 12 individual performances in the event, absence from the season, will also provide an interesting opportunity for her.
Since last year, Walsh has been trying to establish herself as a successful swimmer in both long-course and short-course pools. She successfully claimed wins in the long course, setting a new record in 100 fly at Olympic trials, taking down Sjostrom’s eight-year-old mark set at the 2016 Olympics. The swimmer then went on to clinch the silver medal in the event at the Paris Olympics. In December, Walsh set 11 records at the Short-Course championships, making her the swimmer with the most records set in a single meet.
Following her performance at the 2025 season so far, Walsh is expected to enter the World Championships as a heavy favorite to win the 100 and 50-fly events.
In the men’s 50 fly finals, Canada’s Ilya Kharun placed first in 23.09. Following this performance, the 20-year-old competing in his first final lowered the Canadian record of 23.25 set by Finlay Knox last year. Kharun also managed to take down the Pro Swim Series record of 23.11 set by Australian swimmer Matt Targett in 2012.
Dylan Carter from Trinidad & Tobago placed second in 23.24, followed by Shaine Casas from the U.S.A. in 23.25. Caeleb Dressel was fourth, in 23.32, posting his fastest time since the 2022 World Championships.
