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Gretchen Walsh breaks American record in 50m butterfly at Sette Colli meet

ESPN • 1 min read • Latest: Jun 26, 2026, 6:59 PM

Last updated Jun 26, 2026

Gretchen Walsh breaks American record in 50m butterfly at Sette Colli meet
Summary

Gretchen Walsh swam the second-fastest 50m butterfly in history at the Sette Colli meet in Rome on June 26, clocking 24.51 seconds. This performance marks a new American record, surpassing her previous best of 24.66 seconds. Walsh fell just short of the world record, set by Sarah Sjostrom at 24.43 seconds in 2014. Sjostrom, competing in her return to form after childbirth, finished second with a time of 25.05 seconds. Walsh, who already holds the fastest times in the 100m butterfly, is preparing for the Pan Pacific Championships in August.

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Latest Updates
  • •Walsh's time is the second-fastest in history.
  • •She broke her own American record of 24.66 seconds.
  • •Sjostrom finished second at 25.05 seconds.
  • •Walsh prepares for the Pan Pacific Championships in August.
  • •The 50m butterfly will debut at the 2028 Olympics.
Latest Updates
  • 10:35 PMESPN — Walsh tops Douglass' 50m freestyle world record
  • 8:59 PMYahoo Sports — Swimming world record lasts just nine days as Gretchen Walsh breaks 50 freestyle mark in Rome
  • 6:02 PMYahoo Sports — Gretchen Walsh breaks Kate Douglass' 50-meter freestyle World Record
  • 5:31 PMYahoo Sports — Gretchen Walsh breaks world record in 50m freestyle
  • 6:59 PMYahoo Sports — Gretchen Walsh swims second-fastest 50m butterfly in history, breaks American record
What they're saying
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American swimmer Gretchen Walsh broke the world record in the women's 50 meter freestyle on Sunday, just nine days after her training partner Kate Douglass had set a new mark in the sprint distance. Walsh clocked 23.55 seconds at the Sette Colli meet in Rome to shave 0.04 seconds off the record Douglass set in Indianapolis on June 19. Sarah Sjostrom of Sweden, who held the world record before Douglass, finished second on Sunday in 23.86.

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American swimmer Gretchen Walsh broke the world record in the women's 50-meter freestyle on Sunday, just nine days after her training partner Kate Douglass had set a new mark in the sprint distance.

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Gretchen Walsh has broken the 50 meter freestyle world record, becoming the fastest female sprinter in the history of swimming.

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