History of Gretchen Walsh in Timeline

Gretchen Walsh is an accomplished American competitive swimmer and swimsuit model renowned for her achievements in the sport. She currently holds world records in the 100m butterfly, 4x100m medley relay, mixed gender 4x100m medley relay, 50m butterfly, and 100m IM. At the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, she earned a silver medal in the 100m butterfly and set an Olympic record in the same event during the semifinals with a time of 55.38. Additionally, Walsh holds a world junior record in the mixed gender 4x100m medley relay and multiple American records across various distances and relay events.

Sections (3)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements Success & Recognition

January 29, 2003: Gretchen Walsh's Birth

On January 29, 2003, Gretchen Claire Walsh was born. She is an American competitive swimmer and swimsuit model.

Others born on this day/year

2012: Simone Manuel's Championship Record

In 2012, Simone Manuel set a the previous Championships record of 54.60 seconds at Junior Pan Pacific Swimming Championships.

2013: Simone Manuel's National Age Group Record

In 2013, Simone Manuel set the girls 15–16 age group National Age Group record of 47.73 seconds in the 100 yard freestyle.

2015: Abbey Weitzeil's National High School Record

In 2015, Abbey Weitzeil set the former record of 21.64 seconds.

2015: Attention from SwimSwam

In 2015, Gretchen Walsh, at the age of 12, gained recognition from SwimSwam after securing her first spot at a national competition for juniors.

2015: Former Fastest Freshman Swimmer

In 2015, Simone Manuel, edged out by Gretchen Walsh, was the former fastest female freshman swimmer in the history of the NCAA in the 50 yard freestyle.

2016: US Olympic Trials Qualification

In 2016, at age 13, Gretchen Walsh became the youngest swimmer to qualify for the 2016 US Olympic Trials, also making her the youngest competitor at the event, where she finished 125th overall in the 50 meter freestyle with a time of 26.55 seconds.

December 2017: National Age Group Record

In December 2017, Gretchen Walsh broke her own National Age Group record in the 50 yard freestyle for the girls 13–14 age group with a time of 22.00 seconds at the Speedo Junior Nationals East Championships in Knoxville.

March 2018: Youngest Female American Sub-22 Second 50 Yard Freestyle

In March 2018, at 15 years old, Gretchen Walsh became the youngest female American swimmer to swim the 50 yard freestyle in under 22.00 seconds, achieving a time of 21.85 seconds, breaking National Age Group records for the girls 15–16 age group previously held by Simone Manuel and Kate Douglass.

2018: Junior Pan Pacific Swimming Championships Qualification

In 2018, Gretchen Walsh qualified for four individual events at the 2018 Junior Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Suva, Fiji, and was selected to swim on four relays, marking her first time representing the United States internationally.

May 2019: SwimSwam's Top NCAA Recruit Ranking

In May 2019, SwimSwam ranked Gretchen Walsh as the number one NCAA recruit from all swimmers across the United States in the high school graduating class of 2021.

2019: World Junior Championships

In August 2019, Gretchen Walsh was named one of the five captains for the United States team at the World Junior Championships in Budapest, Hungary. She won six gold medals in various events, including the 4x100 meter mixed medley relay, 100 meter freestyle, 4x100 meter mixed freestyle relay, 4x100 meter freestyle relay, 50 meter freestyle, and 4x100 meter medley relay.

2020: Postponement of 2020 US Olympic Trials

In 2020, the US Olympic Trials in Omaha, Nebraska, were postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

2020: U.S. Open Swimming Championships

In November 2020, at the U.S. Open Swimming Championships, Gretchen Walsh won the gold medal in the 50 meter freestyle with a time of 24.65 seconds and the silver medal in the 100 meter freestyle with a 54.37.

October 18, 2021: Collegiate Swimming Ranking

For the week of October 18, 2021, Gretchen Walsh's performances contributed to collegiate swimming being ranked number one for "The Week That Was" honor from Swimming World.

October 19, 2021: ACC Women's Swimmer of the Week

On October 19, 2021, Gretchen Walsh was named as the "Women's Swimmer of the Week" by the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).

2021: 2020 US Olympic Trials

In 2021, Gretchen Walsh competed in the 2020 US Olympic Trials, making it to the semifinals in the 100 meter butterfly and finishing fifth in the final of the 50 meter freestyle.

2021: NCAA Recruit

In 2021, SwimSwam ranked Gretchen Walsh as the number one NCAA recruit from all swimmers across the United States in the high school graduating class of 2021.

2021: University of Virginia Commitment

In January 2021, Gretchen Walsh announced her verbal commitment to compete collegiately for the University of Virginia Cavaliers starting in the autumn of 2021.

2021: Enrollment at the University of Virginia

In the autumn of 2021, Gretchen Walsh began attending the University of Virginia, where she participates in collegiate competitions as a member of the Virginia Cavaliers swimming and diving team.

January 2022: Fastest Female American Swimmer

In January 2022, Gretchen Walsh achieved the fastest 50 yard backstroke time by a female American swimmer, splitting a 23.04 for the lead-off leg of the 4×50 medley relay in a dual meet against North Carolina State University.

February 2022: Atlantic Coast Conference Championships

In February 2022, at the Atlantic Coast Conference Championships, Gretchen Walsh tied Kate Douglass for a new ACC record in the 50 yard freestyle with a time of 21.25 seconds. She also became the fastest female freshman swimmer in the history of the NCAA in the 50 yard freestyle. She helped set an American record in the 4x50 yard freestyle relay with a split of 20.58 seconds and another American record in the 4x50 medley relay with a backstroke split of 22.82 seconds, the fastest in the NCAA. She placed second in the 50 yard freestyle and the 100 yard backstroke, and helped set new American and US Open records in the 4x100 yard medley relay with a split of 49.71 seconds.

2022: NCAA Championships

In 2022, Gretchen Walsh, competing for the University of Virginia, became the fastest female freshman to swim the 50 yard freestyle in the NCAA, with a time of 20.95 seconds. She also earned the NCAA title in the 100 yard freestyle, with a time of 46.05 seconds, and the national title in the 100 meter butterfly.

2023: NCAA Division I Title Wins

In 2023, Gretchen Walsh won the women's NCAA Division I title in the 100 yard backstroke, with an American record time of 48.26 seconds, and the 100 yard freestyle, with a time of 45.61 seconds.

2024: NCAA Titles and Records

In 2024, Gretchen Walsh won NCAA titles in the 50 yard freestyle, 100 yard freestyle, and 100 yard butterfly, setting NCAA records in all three events with times of 20.37 seconds, 44.83 seconds, and 47.42 seconds, respectively.

2024: 2024 Summer Olympics

In 2024, Gretchen Walsh won the silver medal in the 100 meter butterfly at the Summer Olympics in Paris. During the semifinals of the same event, she also set an Olympic record with a time of 55.38 seconds.

May 2, 2025: American Record in 50-meter Butterfly

On May 2, 2025, Gretchen Walsh broke her own American record in the 50-meter butterfly during the Pro Swim Series, setting a new American and Pro Swim Series record of 24.93 seconds.

2025: Repeated NCAA Championships

In 2025, Gretchen Walsh repeated her NCAA championship wins in the 50 yard freestyle, 100 yard freestyle and 100 yard butterfly with times of 20.49 seconds, 44.71 seconds and 46.97 seconds respectively.