Video: Shocked Gretchen Walsh Finds Out She Broke 100m Butterfly World Record

Gretchen Walsh earned her spot at the Paris Olympics with a stunning performance in the women’s 100-meter butterfly during Olympic qualifying, clocking 55.31 seconds. That time could have set a world record had Walsh not already broken it in the semifinals.

The 100-meter butterfly world record was previously held by Swedish swimmer Sarah Sjöström, who set a time of 55.48 seconds in 2016, according to USA Today. Walsh broke that record in the semifinals with a time of 55.18 seconds.

“I didn’t think I was going to make it tonight,” Walsh said in a post-race interview. “I just knew I wanted to do my best time, and now here I am, the world record holder. It’s really crazy.”

“I was absolutely stunned,” she added. “Totally surprised.”

From the start of the race, Walsh took an early lead and increased her lead as the race progressed. Her shock at seeing her time was evident as she emerged from the water, hugging her fellow racers to celebrate her result.

Despite his record-breaking performance, Walsh still had to excel in the final to secure his spot on the Olympic team.

“I was really nervous,” she said at the press conference. “I had a lot of what-ifs going through my mind… after I broke a world record, I thought, ‘I have to do this again or I might miss the team.'”

Walsh performed admirably, earning his place at the Olympics for the first time.

In addition to her victory in the 100-meter butterfly, Walsh also placed second in the 50-meter freestyle and third in the 100-meter freestyle. She will compete in those events at the Olympics, as well as the 4×100-meter freestyle relay, giving her a chance at four gold medals.

Walsh’s sister, Alex Walsh, also a swimmer, won silver in the 200-meter individual medley at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. This year, Alex placed third in the 200-meter breaststroke and second in the 200-meter individual medley at the Olympic trials, according to the Olympics.