ROME (AP) — 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.
FILE – Gretchen Walsh, of the United States, competes in the women’s 50-meter freestyle final at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, Aug. 3, 2025.(Lee Jin-man | AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
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.
Walsh and Douglass are former teammates at the University of Virginia and still train together. After seeing her mark bested so quickly, Douglass posted a photo of Walsh on Instagram with the text “was fun while it lasted” and a handshake emoji.
Walsh, who won two relay gold medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics, also holds the short-course world record over 50 meters and the long-course mark in the 100 butterfly.
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