FLASH! Gretchen Walsh Takes Down Eighth WR, Takes Down Kromowidjojo’s 50 Free Mark
In a down-and-back flash, Gretchen Walsh stormed to eighth individual world record of the Short Course World Championships, this time taking down the all-time standard in the 50 freestyle. After clocking 23.02 in prelims to come within nine hundredths of the mark, Walsh swam a time of 22.87 in the final to take six hundredths off a seven-year-old mark held by the Netherlands’ Ranomi Kromowidjojo.
Walsh achieved this world record just 50 minutes after winning her fifth gold medal (fourth individual) of the meet in the 100 butterfly, which also resulted in a world record. The 22-year-old who competes collegiately for the University of Virginia now owns four short course world records out of 18 total individual marks.
“It was a quick turnaround, but I was definitely still in the zone,” Walsh said. “I was really trying to make the best out of this race.”
Moments after setting the world record, Walsh received congratulations and her $25,000 world-record bonus check from Kromowidjojo, who was on deck as a coach.
The United States will be favored for a fifth 1-2 finish in the final after Kate Douglass touched second in 23.35. Douglass has already won individual golds in the 200 breaststroke and 200 IM in addition to 100 IM silver and 100 free bronze (both behind Walsh). Poland’s Kasia Wasick, a multi-time medalist at the long course World Championships in this event, took third in 23.46, ahead of Italy’s Silvia di Pietro (23.68) and neutral athlete Arina Surkova (23.69).
Great Britain’s Eva Okaro took sixth (23.71), with Australia’s Meg Harris seventh in 23.74. Harris was the Olympic silver medalist in the event in Paris behind Sarah Sjostrom. Italy’s Sara Curtis was the last swimmer in with a time of 23.89.
