See all of our 2024 Swammy Awards right here
After struggling to hit her greatest occasions and carry out on the massive stage for a number of years, American Gretchen Walsh lastly had her lengthy awaited breakout in 2024, incomes her the Swammy Award for Feminine Breakout Swimmer of the 12 months.
In highschool, Walsh appeared primed to be one of many subsequent swimming stars for the USA, throwing down a few of the nation’s quickest occasions within the dash freestyle occasions. Nonetheless, she all the time appeared to fall wanting executing when it mattered most, failing to last on the 2021 US Olympic Trials and 2022 World Championship Trials. Regardless of that, Walsh saved persisting underneath coach Todd DeSorbo. Her first flashes of confidence have been seen on the 2022 US Nationwide Championships, the place she threw down a 54.77 within the 100 freestyle carrying a observe go well with. At that very same meet, she additionally contested the LCM 100 butterfly for the primary time underneath DeSorbo, dropping a 57.44.
Shifting into 2023, Walsh was lastly swimming again at her earlier degree and he or she managed to qualify for the 2023 World Championships in a number of occasions. She later gained a person bronze within the 50 butterfly at Worlds, together with a number of relay medals to set herself up for 2024.
On the time, we didn’t know simply how nicely Walsh had truly set herself up for 2024. Actually, no person knew what was to return from the Virginia star.
Walsh began off her 12 months on a tear on the NCAA stage, setting new US Open/American/NCAA data within the 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle, 50 backstroke, 100 backstroke, and 100 butterfly, going 3-for-3 for particular person NCAA titles in among the best performances in current reminiscence.
She then progressed into new territory on the 2024 US Olympic Trials meet, shattering Sarah Sjostrom’s World Report within the 100 butterfly with a 55.18, taking .3 off of Sjostrom’s earlier mark (55.48) from 2016. She then went on to qualify for her first Olympic Workforce in 3 particular person occasions, together with the 50 free, 100 free, and 100 fly. In Paris, Walsh was upset by Torri Huske for the gold within the 100 fly. Nonetheless, she nonetheless walked away from the meet with 2 gold and a pair of silver medals, together with World Data within the blended 4×100 medley relay and girls’s 4×100 medley relay.
To shut-out 2024, Walsh threw down one of many best single meet performances of all-time on the 2024 SC World Championships. All through the week-long competitors, Walsh shattered record-after-record, totaling 9 particular person World Data and a pair of relay World Data, essentially the most all-time for a single competitors. She additionally gained gold in 5 particular person occasions, together with the 50 freestyle, 50 butterfly, 100 freestyle, 100 butterfly, and 100 IM, hauling in 7 gold medals complete, the 2nd most all-time amongst American ladies. Walsh’s efficiency was exceptional not only for its historic significance, but additionally for the truth that it cumulated a breakout season for her, certifying her as a star on the worldwide swim scene and a power for a few years to return.
The one actual query that is still for Walsh is: “What’s subsequent?” as she will definitely look to depart an impression on 2025, starting with the NCAA Championships in March.
Honorable Mentions
- Mary-Sophie Harvey (Canada) – Regardless of representing Canada on the worldwide stage for a few years, Mary-Sophie Harvey had by no means picked up a person World Championships medal till 2024. On the 2024 SC World Championships, the Quebec native dropped an enormous private greatest within the 200 freestyle, swimming a Americas document of 1:51.49 for the silver medal, simply behind gold medalist Siobhán Haughey. Her time marked a serious drop, as she minimize 3.56 seconds off of her earlier greatest in lower than a 2 month interval, an incredible drop for an elite swimmer.
- Emma Weber (USA) – Going into the US Olympic Trials meet, Emma Weber was relatively-unknown even on the US swim scene. The 2024 ACC Champion within the 200 breaststroke, Weber had beforehand represented the US on the 2023 Pan American Video games, ending fifth within the 100 breaststroke. Nonetheless, at Olympic Trials, Weber threw down a .38 second PB within the last of the 100 breaststroke, touching 2nd general in a time of 1:06.10 to assert her spot on the Olympic Workforce forward of defending Olympic Champion Lydia Jacoby. In Paris, Weber didn’t advance past the prelims, however contributed to the US ladies’s 4×100 medley relay by swimming the breaststroke leg in prelims, finally incomes a gold medal for her efforts. Weber herself didn’t imagine she was going to qualify for the Olympic crew, following her efficiency at Trials, she advised reporters that she purchased tickets to attend the Olympics as a spectator.
- Alex Shackell (USA) – After qualifying for the 2023 World Championships within the 4×200 freestyle relay, Alex Shackell managed to qualify individually for the 2024 Olympic Video games, making finals within the 200 butterfly. The younger star additionally picked up medals on the prelims of the 4×100 medley relay (gold) and the 4×200 freestyle relay (silver), constructing on the younger core of USA Swimming. She carried that momentum into SC Worlds, the place she picked up 4 medals, together with golds on the ladies’s 4×100 medley relay and blended 4×100 medley relay.
- Mona McSharry (Eire) – One other NCAA product out of Tennessee, Mona McSharry stunned herself by successful a bronze medal within the 100 breaststroke on the 2024 Olympic Video games. Her medal marked Eire’s first Olympic medal within the pool since 1996, along with her time of 1:05.51 setting a brand new Nationwide document within the occasion as nicely. McSharry had beforehand positioned eighth in the identical occasion on the Tokyo Olympic Video games, marking a serious enchancment over the three-year Olympic cycle. The medal additionally marked her first main senior worldwide medal within the lengthy course pool.
PREVIOUS WINNERS:
- 2023 Swammy – Erika Fairweather, New Zealand
- 2022 Swammy – Marrit Steenbergen, Netherlands
- 2021 Swammy – Lydia Jacoby, United States
- 2020 Swammy — Kasia Wasick, Poland
- 2019 Swammy — Maggie MacNeil, Canada
- 2018 Swammy — Wang Jianjiahe, China
- 2017 Swammy — Kylie Masse, Canada
- 2016 Swammy — Penny Oleksiak, Canada
- 2015 Swammy — Bronte Campbell, Australia
- 2014 Swammy — Sharon van Rouwendaal, Netherlands
