Ultra Swimmer of the Month: Gretchen Walsh
01/01/2025 08:30 AM
By James Sutherland on SwimSwam
Ultra Swim Swimmer of the Month is a recurring SwimSwam feature shedding light on a U.S.-based swimmer who has proven themselves over the past month. As with any item of recognition, Swimmer of the Month is a subjective exercise meant to highlight one athlete whose work holds noteworthy context – perhaps a swimmer who was visibly outperforming other swimmers over the month, or one whose accomplishments slipped through the cracks among other high-profile swims. If your favorite athlete wasn't selected, feel free to respectfully recognize them in our comment section.
Gretchen Walsh‘s historic performance at the Short Course World Championships makes her the clear-cut Ultra Swimmer of the Month for December.
After a record-setting short course meter debut in October, Walsh rewrote the women’s SCM world records over a six-day stretch in Budapest.
The 21-year-old set a total of 11 world records across six events, winning seven gold medals at the championships.
Walsh broke the world record three times in the women’s 100 fly, twice in each of the women’s 50 free, 50 fly and 100 IM, and added two more all-time records as a member of the U.S. women’s 4×100 free and 4×100 medley relay.
Having won gold in all six of those races, she added a seventh in the women’s 100 free, clocking 50.31 for the second-fastest swim ever, just six one-hundredths shy of the world record held by Cate Campbell (50.25).
Below, find a full list of Walsh’s world record swims and where the records stand now versus where they were entering Short Course Worlds (as originally seen in The Gretchen File article).
World Record Swims – 11
| Date | Event | Round | Previous WR | Walsh New WR | Improvement |
| December 10 | Women's 50 fly | Prelims | 24.38 | 24.02 | 0.36 |
| December 10 | Women's 50 fly | Semi-finals | 24.02 | 23.94 | 0.08 |
| December 10 | Women's 4×100 free relay | Final | 3:25.43 | 3:25.01 | 0.42 |
| December 12 | Women's 100 IM | Semi-finals | 55.98 | 55.71 | 0.27 |
| December 13 | Women's 100 fly | Prelims | 54.05 | 53.24 | 0.81 |
| December 13 | Women's 100 fly | Semi-finals | 53.24 | 52.87 | 0.37 |
| December 13 | Women's 100 IM | Final | 55.71 | 55.11 | 0.60 |
| December 14 | Women's 100 fly | Final | 52.87 | 52.71 | 0.16 |
| December 14 | Women's 50 free | Semi-finals | 22.93 | 22.87 | 0.06 |
| December 15 | Women's 50 free | Final | 22.87 | 22.83 | 0.04 |
| December 15 | Women's 4×100 medley relay | Final | 3:44.35 | 3:40.41 | 3.94 |
Where It Started vs Where It Is Now
| Event | World Record Coming In | New WR | Improvement |
| 50 free | 22.93 | 22.83 | 0.10 (0.44%) |
| 50 fly | 24.38 | 23.94 | 0.44 (1.80%) |
| 100 fly | 54.05 | 52.71 | 1.34 (2.48%) |
| 100 IM | 55.98 | 55.11 | 0.87 (1.55%) |
| 4×100 free relay | 3:25.43 | 3:25.01 | 0.42 (0.20%) |
| 4×100 medley relay | 3:44.35 | 3:40.41 | 3.94 (1.63%) |
Walsh’s gold medal haul ranks #2 all-time, as American Olivia Smoliga claimed eight world titles at the 2018 SC World Championships in Hangzhou.
Walsh was named Swimmer of the Meet after one of the greatest performances in history. With all of the world records adding up to go along with her seven gold medals, she walked away with a staggering $290K in prize money.
Below, find Walsh’s full program from Short Course Worlds, which featured 18 swims over six days.
- Day 1 – December 10
- Women's 50 fly prelims – 24.02 (WR)
- Women's 4×100 free relay prelims – 3:31.16 /50.51 anchor
- Women's 50 fly semi-finals – 23.94 (WR)
- Women's 4×100 free relay final – 3:25.01 (WR) / 50.67 anchor
- Day 2 – December 11
- Women's 100 free prelims – 51.64
- Women's 50 fly final – 24.01
- Women's 100 free semi-finals – 50.49 (AR/CR)
- Day 3 – December 12
- Women's 100 IM prelims – 56.06 (CR)
- Women's 100 free final – 50.31 (AR/CR)
- Women's 100 IM semi-finals – 55.71 (WR)
- Day 4 – December 13
- Women's 100 fly prelims – 53.24 (WR)
- Women's 100 IM final – 55.11 (WR)
- Women's 100 fly semi-finals – 52.87 (WR)
- Day 5 – December 14
- Women's 50 free prelims – 23.02 (CR/AR)
- Women's 100 fly final – 52.71 (WR)
- Women's 50 free semi-finals – 22.87 (WR)
- Day 6 – December 15
- Women's 50 free final – 22.83 WR)
- Women's 4×100 medley relay final – 3:40.41 (WR) / 52.84 fly split
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