U.S. Nationals, Day Five Women’s Finals: Gretchen Walsh Scares World Record in 50 Freestyle
Can the final night of the United States National Championships match the excitement of the afternoon time trials? Following prelims on Saturday, Kate Douglass threw down the gauntlet with a clocking of 51.93 in the 100-meter freestyle, the performance making her just the fifth woman in history to crack the 52-second barrier in the event. Douglass also put down a challenge to the athletes racing at night.
Gretchen Walsh is best positioned to match Douglass’ highlight-reel effort. Walsh delivered a 23.96 mark in the prelims of the 50 freestyle and will take aim at her world record, which sits at 23.55 from June’s Sette Colli Trophy in Rome. Walsh will be joined in the final by Anna Moesch, who went 24-low in the morning and set an American record of 51.88 in the 100 freestyle on Night One of the meet.
In addition to the 50 freestyle, finals will be held on Saturday night in the 200 individual medley and 1500 freestyle. Here is an event-by-event recap of the Night Five action:
Women’s 1500 Freestyle
Coming off a victory in the 400 individual medley, Katie Grimes bolted to the front of the field in the 1500 freestyle and was never threatened. Grimes turned in a performance of 15:55.69, which was good for a nine-second triumph over Kate Hurst (16:04.46), who won the 800 freestyle earlier in the meet.
Grimes owns a best of 15:44.89 in the 1500 freestyle, a swim that was produced at the 2022 World Championships in Budapest, and her effort on Saturday evening was the fourth-fastest of her career and best since 2022.
Women’s 200 Individual Medley
As she has done numerous times during her career, Alex Walsh put together a superb breaststroke leg to propel herself to a national championship in the 200 individual medley. Walsh clocked a time of 2:08.59 and turned a .01 deficit at the midway point of the race into a 1.40-second advantage after the breaststroke leg. Walsh covered the breaststroke in 36.98 and came home in 30.85.
A three-time medalist at the World Championships in the 200 IM, Walsh was followed to the wall by Campbell Chase, who finished in 2:10.09. Placing third was Teagan O’Dell, who posted a swim of 2:10.20.
Texas recruit Audrey Derivaux was the champion of the 18-and-under final to add another event to her program at the Junior Pan Pacific Championships later this month in Vancouver. Derivaux touched the wall in 2:11.89 and prevailed over Sadie Buckley (2:12.03) behind a tremendous freestyle leg that helped her erase a .79 deficit through 150 meters.
Women’s 50 Freestyle
Gretchen Walsh is clearly ready for the Pan Pacific Championships, which are a little more than a week away. Flirting with her world record in the 50 freestyle, Walsh popped the third-fastest time in history, going 23.60 for a commanding decision. Walsh blasted to the lead off the start and finished just .05 off the world record she established in June at the Sette Colli Trophy in Rome.
Walsh will be one of the headliners at Pan Pacs and will enter the meet with the first- and third-fastest times in history in the one-lap sprint. Her latest effort bumped ahead of Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom, who once held the world record at 23.61. Walsh is also expected to press her world record in the 100 butterfly, which sits at 54.33.
There was plenty of speed behind Walsh, as teammate Anna Moesch produced a personal best of 24.05 for runnerup honors. Moesch enjoyed a terrific meet, with her second-place outing in the 50 free preceded by victories in the 100 freestyle and 200 freestyle, the shorter distance covered in an American record of 51.88. In third place was Liberty Clark, who went a career best of 24.28.
