Could you imagine competing on the world’s biggest stage with your sister? Gretchen Walsh watched her older sister Alex clinch a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics from afar. While she was yearning to be with her in the Japanese capital, the then-18-year-old wanted to experience that glory too. This year, the duo stepped into the París La Défense Arena today with their sights set on the prize. But while Gretchen got to have a near-perfect debut, things didn’t pan out well for her sister.

After a second-place finish in the 200m IM at Tokyo, Alex hoped to switch it out with a gold this year. That dream looked within her reach for most of the race. However, things looked grim in the final 10m, but the swimmer managed to snag a bronze for herself. To her dismay, as soon as she got out of the Olympic pool, she found her name on the bottom of the scoreboard, with her time replaced with 3 dreaded letters—DSQ. This left the swimming community shocked, but her sister was beyond devastated. 

But she didn’t have much time to grieve the heartbreaking news because it was her turn in the Olympic pool for the mixed 4x100m medley relay final. After pulling off a first-place finish in Heat 2, Team USA hoped to clinch a shiny gold for themselves. Gretchen Walsh’s blistering 55.18 seconds in the butterfly leg set a great finish for Torri Huske. With a world record-breaking time of 3:37:43, Team USA earned their maiden Olympic medal in the event. In a post-race interview, the 21-year-old mentioned that after Alex’s disqualification, she scorched to the gold “in her honor.”

Why was Alex Walsh disqualified? The backstroke leg was about to come to an end. But when the time came to switch to the breaststroke, the swimmer flipped a little earlier than she should have. Without touching the wall, Walsh rotated onto her stomach, which would be considered an illegal term. Her time was good enough for the third step of the podium. But this mistake led to a heartbreaking result. 

However, the Olympic silver medalist found a silver lining instead. “My goal going into the Olympics was never to medal because I just I didn’t want my goal to be dependent on what other people were going to go.” The swimmer had achieved her best time in the 200mIM, which she highlighted. “My goal was to have races that I was proud of and that I could set up in the way that I had been practicing to execute.” While the older Walsh sibling missed out on the podium, how did Gretchen Walsh fare in the French capital?

Gretchen Walsh’s dreamy maiden Olympic stint in the French capital

After missing out on competing at the Summer Games in 2021, nothing could keep her away from the City of Love. Walsh’s debut began with a bang in the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay. Swimming in the second leg, the 21-year-old swam the second-fastest on the team with 52.55 seconds. Chasing Australia, Team USA touched the wall in 3:30:20, breaking the American record.

Next up: women’s 100m butterfly. In the semifinals, Gretchen Walsh’s blistering 55.38 seconds set a new Olympic record. So many hoped that she would clinch her first Olympic gold in the finals. However, her compatriot Torri Huske surged past her in 55.59 seconds. The 21-year-old trailed behind with 55.63 seconds on the clock, settling for second place instead. 

However, the 21-year-old was incredibly excited about the result. “I am just happy that we’re both going to be 1-2 USA on the podium today.” The duo even hugged each other with their medals around their necks on the podium. In the Mixed 4x100m Medley Relay, Nic Fink gave Team USA an early lead. But when China took over midway, the 21-year-old’s split helped give them an edge. 

Gretchen Walsh’s 4th Olympic medal was in the Women’s 4x100m Medley Relay. With a record-breaking time of 3:49.63, Team USA clinched gold by shattering their own world record from 2021. But the swimmer swam the fastest split in history with 55.03 seconds, tied in the top spot with Sarah Sjöstrom. Even though the Paris Olympics weren’t as fruitful for Alex Walsh, they finally contested together as they wanted to.