Simply Getting Began

Before World Aquatic Championships this summer time, Gretchen Walsh was satisfied – regardless of her many successes – that lengthy course swimming neutralizes her pure tremendous energy.

“I have great under waters, which are very effective in short course yards and meters, but with long course meters, they aren’t as dominant,” stated Walsh, a multiple-time NCAA Champion and Short Course World Champion (100 freestyle, 50 butterfly) who graduated from the University of Virginia this previous May. 

“And while I have great short course results, people often forget or overlook that I have a long course world record, so I’m excited about swimming both.”

While Walsh might have had doubts, her leads to the water say in any other case. 

Not solely did she set the world report within the 100 butterfly final summer time on the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Swimming, however she earned a silver within the occasion in Paris. She additionally received two gold medals and one silver medal on varied relays.

Fast-forward to the TYR Pro Swim Series Fort Lauderdale in early May, Walsh continued to show herself unsuitable by reducing her personal world mark within the 100 fly by changing into the primary girl to interrupt 55 seconds (54.60). 

She additionally broke the 53-second barrier for the primary time to win the 100 freestyle in 52.90, and set a brand new American report and have become the second girl in historical past to interrupt 25 seconds in profitable the 50 fly in 24.93.

Most lately, she cumulated 11 medals throughout World Aquatics Swimming World Cup occasions this previous October, finishing sweeps of three short-course meter occasions (50 fly, 100 fly, 100 IM) throughout the three legs of competitors, and breaking a brand new world report within the 50 fly (23.72) alongside the way in which.

With all of the successes of 2024 and 2025, Walsh has cemented herself as each a gift and a future star of the U.S. National Team.

Worlds in her Hands

Walsh topped all of this by profitable three gold medals (50 and 100 fly, 400 medley relay) at Worlds regardless of swimming by way of a abdomen virus that impacted a lot of the group in Singapore. 

Her time of 54.73 set a Championship report within the 100 fly. She scratched the 100 freestyle, the place she would have been a medal contender, and likewise missed swimming the 400 free relay as a result of virus.

Suffice it to say, based mostly on what she’s already achieved – she’s at all times enthusiastic about discovering and setting new targets. 

“I definitely need to keep working and finding new motivation because I have surpassed so many barriers I talked about prior to the season,” Walsh stated. “I might have to get creative with goals, not make them time-based. 

“I think that helps me see it more as an opportunity to execute, versus having to go by a time. I’m really happy with where I’m at. It’s great to still be living and training in Charlottesville, Va., after graduating. I’m looking forward to the next part of my pro journey. It started on such a high note; this is going to be awesome.”

Now that she’s a university graduate, Walsh has the posh of not having to consider exams and papers and may deal with lengthy course swimming three years out from the Los Angeles Olympics – the primary Summer Games on American soil since 1996 in Atlanta. 

Earlier this spring, a few weeks after NCAA Championships, she sat down with Virginia Coach Todd DeSorbo and mapped out a plan – each short-term in preparation for this summer time and long-term as she appears to be like towards 2028 and past. 

And whereas these plans stay unpublished between her and DeSorbo, Walsh stated she is assured of 1 factor shifting ahead. 

She has extra to do – and extra to show – within the water.

Familial Waters

The youthful sister by 18 months to fellow National Teamer and Olympian Alex, Gretchen grew up within the water. Her mother, Glynis, swam at Syracuse University and wished her daughters to have a way of water security and revel in swimming.

What she found after a couple of practices was that each her daughters had been fairly particular within the pool. 

Alex excelled instantly, however for Gretchen, who her mother describes as a “daredevil” unafraid to attempt nearly all the pieces, it didn’t take instantly. 

“Gretchen was so tiny and thin when she first started swimming that she wore a wet suit to keep warm,” Glynis stated. “At first, she didn’t enjoy swimming – not structured swimming, anyway. In fact, one of her first races, she hit the wall and shouted ‘I hate this.’ She quit that same day. 

“But seeing her sister and friends continue to swim and have fun, she picked it back up, and she’s been in the water ever since.”

Within a couple of years, Walsh turned the youngest swimmer (13) to qualify for and compete on the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials. A 12 months later, she broke her personal National Age Group report within the 50 yard freestyle for the woman’s 13–14 age group with a time of twenty-two seconds on the Speedo Junior Nationals East Championships in Knoxville.

Since then, she’s earned a collection of progressive time drops which have positioned her among the many quickest feminine swimmers on this planet. 

Doug Wharam, head coach on the Walsh sisters’ swim membership in Nashville, attributes each swimmers’ success to sturdy dad and mom who had common involvement of their lives.

He stated they knew when to push Alex and Gretchen, when to again off or take a day without work, when to pay attention and when to hunt recommendation from or give recommendation to their coaches. 

“Her parents could write a book on what to do right when raising swimmers or athletes; they have always been a united team,” Wharam stated. “The support network they provide is incredibly important, and has been since they were young. 

“They provided so much insight into what was happening at home, school, etc. and how those things affected them in practice and during meets. They have been instrumental in helping both Alex and Gretchen achieve exceptional things.”

Despite their assist, Glynis is the primary to acknowledge what Gretchen has achieved and continues to realize is due to her dedication to the game, work ethic and need to win.

“When I watched them (she and Alex) swim as kids, I knew they had natural talent, so it’s always been my objective to help pace them and make sure they don’t burn out,” she stated. “It’s always been up to them. I just wanted to help them get where they were going however I could. 

“I don’t want to get in the way. Alex broke down doors; Gretchen ran right through them.”

Woman with a Plan

In her closing spring as a collegiate swimmer, Walsh put collectively one of the outstanding – and quickest – performances within the historical past of faculty swimming at this 12 months’s NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships.

Over the course of 5 days, she broke a number of data, setting a brand new American, NCAA and U.S. Open mark of 46.97 within the finals of the 100 butterfly; swimming an NCAA and American report time of 20.37 to win the 50 freestyle; and sprinting to an NCAA and American report 44.71 for gold within the 100 freestyle.

With her time within the 100 fly, Walsh turned the primary girl ever to swim underneath 47 seconds within the occasion. 

“She set a new standard for women’s swimming at NCAA’s,” DeSorbo stated.

After the meet, she took a while off to go to mates and decompress, however earlier than the top of the month, she and DeSorbo sat down and mapped out her future. 

While being a member of a group and having others relying on you is one thing DeSorbo noticed in Walsh every day in follow and at meets, he acknowledges that swimming on her personal might require extra planning to proceed to raise her long-course technique.

“Mutual trust is earned, and when Gretchen arrived on campus four years ago, she quickly embraced the way we train and the collective mindset we motivate athletes to achieve their best,” stated DeSorbo, who coached the U.S. ladies in Paris final summer time and has led Virginia to 5 straight NCAA titles. “She’s never been afraid to push herself in practice, and I don’t see that changing as she moves forward.

“The key for me as her coach is to identify what continues to motivate her. I’m really looking forward to seeing how far she takes her swimming over the next few years leading up to Los Angeles in 2028.”

Something to Prove

Walsh agrees, stating that the chance earlier than her to deal with long-course coaching and strategizing presents a recent alternative to see the place she will be able to take her swimming. 

Despite all of her nationwide and worldwide success, she stated, in her view, she nonetheless has extra to perform and show – and she or he wouldn’t have it another manner. 

“I’m definitely excited to see what I can do now that I can focus on training and swimming long-course meters and not yards,” stated Walsh, who narrowly missed becoming a member of Alex on the 2020 Olympic group with a fifth-place end within the 50 freestyle.

“I’ve got to learn to give myself grace more often and try to separate perfection from an actual experience. It’s important to me to be present for everything – the good and the not-so-good.”

With her former Virginia teammate Kate Douglass as a shining instance – having gone professional on the finish of the 2024 NCAA season and shined brightly eventually summer time’s Olympics with two gold and two silver medals together with three extra gold and two silver at Worlds – Walsh is aware of she has a pal to lean on as her position continues to evolve and questions come up.

She additionally has her household, mates, coaches and assist of USA Swimming as she forges her personal path into the skilled part of her life – nevertheless lengthy that may final and wherever it would lead.

“I have a tremendous support team around me, and I know I can rely on them for whatever I need as much as I need, and it helps to have Alex there as we move forward together,” Walsh stated.

“We’ve always been each other’s biggest supporters – being there when things go well and when they don’t – and I feel very fortunate to have her and everyone else with me on this journey. I can’t wait to see where things go from here.”