Gretchen Walsh lowered her own short‑course world record in the 50m freestyle to 22.75 on Friday night, 16 October 2026, at the Virginia Pro‑Am in Charlottesville.
22.75 from the first swim of the night
Walsh was the very first swimmer off the blocks in the final session and led from start to finish. The race covered just two lengths of the 25‑metre pool at the UVA Aquatic & Fitness Center, her home pool. Hours earlier, training partner Kate Douglass had set a U.S. Open record of 22.94 in a morning time trial in the same water.
Walsh’s 22.75 erased that mark by 0.19 seconds and shaved 0.08 off her own world record of 22.83, set at the 2024 World Short Course Championships in Budapest. Abbey Weitzeil finished second in 23.72, nearly a full second behind. Simone Manuel took third in 24.40.
Three fastest swims, one name
With 22.75 Walsh now holds the three fastest 50m short‑course freestyle swims ever recorded. The new time sits 0.18 clear of the next‑fastest performer in history, Ranomi Kromowidjojo of the Netherlands. Only five sub‑23‑second swims exist, and three belong to the 23‑year‑old American.
The all‑time top five now reads Walsh 22.75, Walsh 22.83, Walsh 22.87, Kromowidjojo 22.93 and Douglass 22.94. It was Walsh’s second short‑course world record in this pool; she set the 100m individual medley mark here in October 2024.
Earlier in the same meet she placed second to Douglass in the 100 free with 50.32, her second‑fastest ever, and recorded the third‑fastest 100 butterfly in history at 53.04. Later in the session Walsh won the 50 butterfly in 24.02, with Claire Curzan second in 24.85.
Across short‑course and long‑course events Walsh now holds nine current world records. The meet was sharp work for the United States Short Course Trials later this month, which select the team for December’s World Short Course Championships in Beijing.
