“Hero”: Michael Phelps, Kate Douglass & Team USA Celebrate Gretchen Walsh Beating 2016 World Record

If the dawn shows the day in any way, then the first day of the US Swimming Team Trials was a sure sign that the coming week would be a thrilling affair in Indiana. Swimming fans of the country couldn’t have asked for a better start to the event, Gretchen Walsh made sure. After a titillating 100m fly performance in the prelims, Walsh went on to break the world record in the event at the semis.

Few would predict that such a seminal performance by a 21-year-old awaited them at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. In the second heat of the women’s 100m fly race, Gretchen clocked an impressive 55.94 seconds, becoming the second-fastest female American swimmer, trailing behind only the indomitable Torri Huske. However, it wasn’t long before Alexandra Walsh’s younger sister developed on her time, and registered a thumping 55.18 seconds at the semi-finals, a new world record in the event, leaving Sarah Sjostrom behind by .30 seconds.

Gretchen Walsh stealing the spotlight

Understandably, the American swimming fraternity is losing its mind over the University of Virginia student breaking the Swede’s record from the 2016 Rio Olympics. With her latest feat, Walsh became the second USA swimmer to break a world record at the Olympic Team Trials, only after the iconic Michael Phelps’ similar feat from 2008.

Huske also managed to go below the 56-second mark in the race, coming in second with 55.79 seconds. What makes Walsh’s first-place finish even more significant is that she has never gone below 56 seconds before today’s heats. At this year’s Women’s NCAA  Swimming and Diving Championships as well, Gretchen caught the attention of fans after her exquisite 47.42 second finish in the 100m fly race. While that triumph came in the short course, today’s victory should seal her place as one of the best swimmers the nation has ever produced.

The swimming community wishes her the best ahead

Walsh’s performance was so enticing that even the Baltimore Bullet couldn’t stand witness and not hail her for the milestone achievement. In his recent Instagram story, the 23-time Olympic gold medalist nodded his hat at Gretchen’s performance with the caption, “Let’s gooo @gretchenwalsh2!!“.

Five-time Olympic gold medalist Missy Franklin also called Gretchen “A hero” in the former’s Instagram story, obviously feeling the pride to see the USA at the helm of the record tally once again.

Olympic medalist Kate Douglass also congratulated Gretchen for her 55.18 finish in Indianapolis as she shared Team USA’s official post on her IG story. Douglass will also be eying her own spot in the team and seems to draw inspiration from her young colleague’s stellar display of skill, as the former also celebrated the “One For All” motto of the national team.

Gretchen’s elder sister Alex, who is an Olympic silver medalist herself, was evidently elated by what her sibling managed to achieve at the Olympic Swimming Team Trials, and shared the feat with the caption, “SHES UNREAL!!!!” She went on to send out a message on behalf of her sister to the latters opponents as she claimed, “SIS HAS BIG THINGS IN STORE THIS SUMMER” in her latest Instagram story.

Retired swimming celebrity and three-time Olympic gold medalist Natalie Coughlin also hailed Walsh’s performance as a “Pretty bada$$ way to start off the meetI” tagging the NCAA swimmer.

Tell us what did you think about Wlash’s thrilling performance in the comments below. Also tell us what you think the women’s 100m fly final has in store for her!