American swimmer Gretchen Walsh has once again rewritten the record books, breaking her own 100-meter butterfly world record for the third time within 12 months. The 23-year-old posted an incredible time of 54.33 seconds during competition in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on May 3rd.
This latest achievement adds to Walsh’s dominance in the event, as she now holds the top 13 fastest times ever recorded in women’s 100-meter butterfly history.
“Must be magic or something out here… let’s make this an annual thing, shall we?,” Walsh wrote on her Instagram account following the record-breaking performance.
The world champion previously made history at this same Florida venue when she became the first female swimmer to complete the distance in under 55 seconds, recording 54.60 seconds in 2024. Despite her dominance in the event, Walsh finished second to fellow American Torri Huske in the 100-meter butterfly at the Paris Olympics.
Walsh’s superiority in the event is evident when compared to other top swimmers – she is more than a full second faster than Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom, who holds the second-best time of 55.48 seconds from the 2016 Olympics.
