Gretchen Walsh equals US record in 50m freestyle

INDIANAPOLIS: Swimmer Gretchen Walsh delivered a stellar performance in the women's 50m freestyle final at the 2025 US national swimming championship on Sunday, showcasing exceptional speed and agility to equal the American record.

Facing stiff competition from Olympic champion Torri Huske, American record holder Kate Douglass and Simone Manuel, Walsh surged ahead to clock 23.91 seconds — equaling Douglass’s American record and breaking Abbey Weitzeil’s US Open and meet record of 24.00.

Huske finished just behind in 23.98 seconds, dipping under the 24-second barrier for the first time in her career and also bettering the previous US Open mark.

Douglass claimed third with 24.04 seconds, narrowly ahead of Manuel, who posted 24.39 in a blisteringly fast final.

Walsh’s victory comes on the heels of another standout swim last week, when she recorded 54.76 seconds to win the 100m butterfly.

Though she fell just short of her own world record of 54.60 — set at the Fort Lauderdale Pro Swim Series last month — her time still stands as the second-fastest in history. Walsh now owned the top seven times ever recorded in the event.

Her commanding performances have secured her spots in two individual events at the World Championships in Singapore, scheduled from July 11 to August 3. 

Earlier in the week, she also won the 50m butterfly, registering the fourth-fastest time ever recorded in that event.

Elsewhere on the final day of competition, Katharine Berkoff delivered an exceptional performance in the 50m backstroke, touching in 26.97 seconds — the second-fastest time in history. 

In doing so, she broke Regan Smith’s American record. Smith finished second in 27.20 seconds.

Lilly King, one of the most decorated swimmers in US history and a three-time Olympic gold medallist, continued her farewell season with a gold medal in the 50m breaststroke, clocking 29.88 seconds.