Walsh Becomes Second-Fastest Woman in 50m Butterfly

Gretchen Walsh sets new American record in 50m butterfly with a time of 24.93 seconds at the TYR Pro Swim Series.

Gretchen Walsh set a new American record in the 50m butterfly, clocking 24.93 seconds at the TYR Pro Swim Series in Florida. This impressive time makes her the second-fastest woman in the event's history.

Walsh's record-breaking performance trails only Sarah Sjostrom's world record of 24.43 seconds, set in 2014. Sjostrom, a Swedish swimmer, has dominated the event at world championships since 2015, remaining unbeaten.

22-year-old Walsh is gaining attention ahead of swimming's Olympic debut in Los Angeles 2028. "I think that the second woman to ever be under 25 (seconds) is a pretty cool stat," Walsh said. “I have definitely had my eyes set on that.”

Welcome to the :24 club, Gretchen 🫡

She becomes the second swimmer EVER to go sub-:25 in the 50m butterfly and captures a new American Record!#TYRProSeries pic.twitter.com/OO9t7zU1Ub

— USA Swimming (@USASwimming) May 2, 2025

“I'm really happy with the swim,” Walsh said. “There is definitely room to get better... I love following in the footsteps of Sarah Sjostrom (in the women’s 50m butterfly), she's such an idol to me, and it's cool to be in the same sentence as her.”

Walsh had a strong showing at the Paris Games, taking silver in the 100m butterfly behind Torri Huske and winning team gold in the women’s and mixed 4×100m medley relays. Meanwhile, Sjostrom, who won gold in the 50m and 100m freestyle events in Paris, is taking a break from competition to await the birth of her first child but plans to return for the LA Games.