Swimming world report lasts simply 9 days as Gretchen Walsh breaks 50 freestyle mark in Rome

ROME (AP) — American swimmer Gretchen Walsh broke the world report within the girls’s 50 meter freestyle on Sunday, simply 9 days after her coaching accomplice Kate Douglass had set a brand new mark within the dash distance.

Walsh clocked 23.55 seconds on the Sette Colli meet in Rome to shave 0.04 seconds off the report Douglass set in Indianapolis on June 19.

Sarah Sjostrom of Sweden, who held the world report earlier than Douglass, completed second on Sunday in 23.86.

Walsh and Douglass are former teammates on the University of Virginia and nonetheless prepare collectively. After seeing her mark bested so shortly, Douglass posted a photograph of Walsh on Instagram with the textual content “was fun while it lasted” and a handshake emoji.

Walsh, who gained two relay gold medals on the 2024 Paris Olympics, additionally holds the short-course world report over 50 meters and the long-course mark within the 100 butterfly.

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AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games