Dive Into Excellence: The 2024 Swammy Awards Honor America’s Top Female Swimmer

Explore all of our 2024 Swammy Awards here.

Had this accolade been determined before the 2024 SC World Championships, it likely would have been significantly more challenging to designate a definitive victor. After all, the US female athletes were undeniably the highlight for the entire nation this year, spearheading the team at both the Olympics and World Championships. Nonetheless, following an exceptional display at the 2024 World Championships to conclude a breakout year, Gretchen Walsh is the recipient of the 2024 Swammy Award for US Female Swimmer of the Year. 

Walsh has just completed an extraordinary series of performances at the World Championships, during which she established 11 World Records, 9 of which were individual feats. Her achievements at that single competition alone could suffice to secure this honor. Here’s a brief summary of her remarkable week. 

Gretchen Walsh’s 2024 SC World Championships Summary:

• 5 individual gold medals
  • 50 free, 100 free, 50 fly, 100 fly, 100 IM
• 2 relay gold medals
  • Women’s 4×100 medley relay, women’s 4×100 freestyle relay
• 9 individual world records
• 2 relay world records
• Most World Records ever established at a Championship Meet
  • Previously held by Mark Spitz, who set 7 World Records at the 1972 Olympic Games, and Michael Phelps, who also achieved 7 World Records at the 2008 Olympic Games, albeit while wearing a supersuit
• First swimmer ever to surpass the World Record in the prelims, semis, and finals of the same event
• 2nd American woman to secure 7 gold medals at a single edition of the World Championships
• First American female to win 5 individual golds at a single edition of the World Championships
• First woman to swim under 54 and 53 seconds in the 100m butterfly
• First woman to swim under 24 seconds in the 50m butterfly
• World Aquatics female swimmer of the meet
• Over $290,000 in estimated earnings
  • More than any country aside from the United States

While Walsh may have highlighted her 2024 run with the World Championships, she also had numerous outstanding moments throughout the year.

Before this year, Walsh had been on the brink of an international breakthrough for several years. In 2021, she did not make the US Olympic team despite being among the frontrunners. The same situation arose in 2022 when she did not qualify for the World Championships team. In 2023, she finally seized her chance, qualifying for the US World Championship team in several events and ultimately securing one medal of each color. With constant impressive performances at the NCAA level, we anticipated Walsh would be a formidable contender on the international front. Nobody could have foreseen how much of a powerhouse she would turn out to be.

Competing for Virginia, Walsh commenced 2024 with a record-breaking spree at the 2024 ACC and 2024 NCAA Championships, delivering one of the greatest NCAA performances in history. Beginning on the first night of the ACC Championships, Walsh executed the 3rd-fastest performance ever in the 200 freestyle, leading off UVA’s 800 freestyle relay with a time of 1:40.23. Remarkably, that was merely the first highlight of her impressive performances from that meet, as she then became the first woman to achieve a sub-20 split on a relay, clocking 19.95 on UVA’s 200 freestyle relay, aiding the team in setting an NCAA record of 1:23.63. Walsh also established a new NCAA record in the individual 50 freestyle at 20.57.

In the 100 butterfly, she set a personal best of 48.25, breaking the previous US Open and NCAA record marks held by ex-teammate Kate Douglass. Walsh next shattered another NCAA/US Open record in the 100 backstroke, achieving a time of 48.10 while anchoring UVA’s 400 medley relay. To conclude the meet, she set her 4th individual NCAA record of the competition, surpassing Simone Manuel’s mark by half a second with a time of 45.15.

These impressive performances captivated many swimming enthusiasts, reminiscent of Caeleb Dressel’s breathtaking 2018 NCAA Championship display, and Walsh hadn’t even reached the NCAAs yet. In fact, her achievements at ACCs were merely a precursor to her astonishing performances at the NCAA Championships.

Walsh ignited excitement globally, launching into NCAAs with a phenomenal 22.10 in the 50 backstroke leading-off UVA’s 200 medley relay, the fastest performance in history by 0.4 seconds. Following that, the records began to tumble faster than most could track. When it was all said and done, Walsh emerged from the NCAA Championships with individual titles and NCAA/US Open Records in the 50 freestyle (20.37), 100 freestyle (44.83), and the 100 butterfly (47.42). In the 100 freestyle, she became the first woman to break the 45-second barrier, while she was also the first woman to achieve a time under 48 seconds in the 100 butterfly (by a considerable margin). Walsh’s exceptional performance also earned her the CSCAA D1 Women’s Swimmer of the Year accolades.

Following her NCAA exploits, Walsh entered the US Olympic Trials fueled by immense confidence, which was evident the moment she dove into the water for the 100 butterfly. After effortlessly qualifying first for the semi-finals, Walsh delivered an incredible time of 55.18 in the semis, shattering Sarah Sjostrom’s World Record by nearly half a second. Although she was slightly off of that mark in the finals, Walsh still easily clinched victory to secure her spot on the first Olympic team.

Moreover, Walsh added an individual slot for Paris in the 50 freestyle, finishing 2nd to Simone Manuel. After claiming 3rd place in the 100 freestyle to secure a spot on the 400 freestyle relay team, she was later awarded the individual slot in the…event as victor Kate Douglass decided to forego it. 

After numerous years of setbacks, Walsh ultimately found herself at her inaugural Olympic Games in Paris. She commenced the competition with the 400 freestyle relay, recording a split of 52.55 to assist the US in securing the silver medal, marking her first Olympic medal to add to her achievements. Following that display, she excelled in both the heats and semifinals of the 100 butterfly, securing the top seed for the final. In the final race, she surged off the block as anticipated, but was overtaken by teammate Torri Huske in the last 5 meters for the gold. Regardless, Walsh still delivered one of the fastest performances ever with a time of 55.63, thereby earning her first individual Olympic medal as well. Individually, Walsh concluded her events in 4th place in the 50 freestyle and 8th place in the 100 freestyle. 

During the relays in Paris, Walsh was instrumental. Besides aiding the squad in the women’s 400 freestyle relay, she was also a vital part of both the mixed 4×100 medley relay and women’s 4×100 medley relay, swimming butterfly on both occasions to secure 2 gold medals as well. Walsh notably recorded a 55.03 split on the women’s 4×100 medley relay, leading the team to a remarkable World Record performance of 3:49.63. 

In summary, Walsh’s year comprised 11 individual World Records (1 LC, 10 SC), 4 relay World Records, 4 Olympic medals (2 G, 2 S), and 7 SC World Championship gold medals. In what was one of the more commanding years for the US women, Walsh stood out across the board.

Honorable Mentions:

• Regan Smith – Smith was the sole other US swimmer to establish an individual World Record in the long course pool. At the US Olympic Trials, she clocked a time of 57.13 to win the 100 backstroke, regaining her World Record for the first time since Kaylee McKeown surpassed it back in 2021. In Paris, Smith earned silver in both the 100 and 200 backstroke behind McKeown and secured a silver in the 200 butterfly, as well as gold medals in the mixed 4×100 medley relay and women’s 4×100 medley relay. Smith also shattered the World Records in the SCM formats of the 50, 100, and 200 backstroke throughout the 2024 World Cup and 2024 World Championships, sweeping those events at Worlds to emerge with 7 medals (4G, 2S, 1B).
• Torri Huske – Had this accolade been determined solely on Olympic performance, Huske would have led the pack. In Paris, Huske topped all US athletes across every sport with a haul of 5 medals (3 G, 2 S). This included an individual gold in the 100 butterfly, where she surpassed Walsh to improve upon her 4th place finish from Tokyo. Huske also claimed a surprising silver medal in the 100 freestyle with a personal best of 52.29. Throughout the competition, she was a significant contributor to the US team in the various relay events. In the women’s 4×100 freestyle relay, she facilitated the US in securing a silver medal in a new American Record style with the team’s fastest split (52.06). She then anchored both the mixed 4×100 medley relay and women’s 4×100 medley relay to gold in World Record style.
• Katie Ledecky – Ledecky did not set any World Records in 2024, yet remained one of the cornerstones of USA Swimming at the Olympics, clinching gold in both the 800 freestyle and 1500 freestyle, achieving an Olympic record in the latter event. For Ledecky, her medal in the 800 free marked her 4th consecutive Olympic gold medal in this event dating back to 2012. Ledecky also secured a silver medal in the 4×200 freestyle relay and a bronze in the 400 freestyle, elevating her career Olympic medal total to 14, which includes 9 golds. Following her performance in Paris, Ledecky is now acknowledged as the most decorated American woman, the most decorated female swimmer, and (tied) the woman with the highest number of gold medals in Olympic history.
• Kate Douglass – At the Olympics, Douglass clinched her first individual medal by triumphing in the women’s 200 breaststroke (2:19.24) in American Record fashion. Douglass also departed Paris with an individual silver medal in the 200 IM, along with a gold and a silver medal from the women’s 4×100 medley and 4×100 freestyle relays. In the short course segment, Douglass backed up her Olympic performance with a new World Record in the 200 breaststroke (2:12.50), shaving over 2 seconds off Rebecca Soni’s previous record throughout the season. In the 200 IM, Douglass added another individual World Record to her accolades, surpassing Katinka Hosszu’s former mark with a time of 2:01.63. Douglass concluded SC Worlds with 7 medals, including 4 golds, 2 silvers, and 1 bronze. She also claimed the overall points title on the World Cup Series, winning it in a close competition against Smith.

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