Qualifying for Paris Olympics, Gretchen Walsh Left Teammate ‘Smoked’ and Scared With Her Performance

Gretchen Walsh’s domination in the water makes her one of the top athletes slated to represent the United States at the Paris Olympics. Her times weren’t just fast, they were legitimately scary for the competition. Bobby Finke couldn’t hide his amazement at what Gretchen Walsh did out in the pool. He straight-up said she’s raised the bar for everyone running for gold in Paris. And he’s absolutely right!

All eyes are going to be on Gretchen Walsh this summer because if she can replicate that Virginia Sprint Olympics performance on the big stage, she might just rewrite the record books. Her blistering pace and unwavering focus left Bobby Finke, a seasoned Olympian himself, feeling a little scared, as he admitted in an interview.

Olympic swimmer Bobby Finke reflects on Gretchen Walsh’s success

Recently, Bobby Finke appeared on Team USA’s YouTube channel. In the episode titled, ‘Bobby Finke On Trials Experience, Florida Training Group and More | Kick Set Podcast,‘ he said, “After watching Gretchen Walsh um break 20 for the first time we were in practice that night and then we were all like dude Bobby you’re G to Get Smoked by her.”

Bobby Finke, famed for his long-distance prowess, is preparing to defend his American records in the 800- and 1500-meter freestyle races at the Paris Olympics. He shared, “Deep down I’m always nervous, but you know like now I’m just relaxed. I’ve got support system around me, helping me.”

He continued by saying “So I’m just thinking about it. It’s in there, in my head. I know it’s there, but reality there’s nothing I can do about it. So I’m just sitting here relaxing.” While Finke trains for his events, Walsh has broken her very own record in the Virginia Sprint Olympics and in the university.

Walsh earns award & shatters records

The accolades keep pouring in for Gretchen Walsh, the sensational junior swimmer from the University of Virginia. She has etched her name in the annals of collegiate swimming by clinching the prestigious Honda Sport Award for her remarkable exploits in the pool. With this feat, Walsh becomes the third consecutive UVA athlete to receive this coveted recognition, following in the footsteps of her illustrious teammate Kate Douglass.

Gretchen Walsh had a tremendous swim in the Virginia Sprint Olympics, smashing her former record in the 50 freestyle race. She bested her prior mark of 21.03 seconds by posting an electrifying 21.02 seconds, trimming off just one-hundredth of a second. Incredibly, Walsh had etched a new NCAA standard in the 50 freestyle prelims with 20.77 seconds before obliterating that with an even faster 20.57 in the ACC championship finals. Plus, Walsh’s aggregate time this season eclipsed last year’s, going 1:34.57 compared to 1:34.76, with her breaststroke leg driving the uptick.