Before Sunday night, Gretchen Walsh had set both the Olympic and world records in the 100-meter butterfly.
But she was unable to complete the final step to be able to call herself an Olympic gold medalist.
Fellow American Tori Huske beat Walsh by just 0.4 seconds to claim a dramatic victory in Sunday night’s Olympic final, avenging her own loss to the bronze medal in Tokyo three years ago.
“I’m in shock right now,” Walsh told NBC shortly after the accident. “I don’t even know what to do with it. I feel like crying, but I’m also smiling. It just doesn’t seem real. You’re right, I missed the podium by a hundredth of a second last time. … It’s been a long journey and a lot of support and I’m so grateful for it all.”
It was the first time since 1984 that the United States took first and second place in the women’s 100-meter butterfly, with Walsh beating Chinese swimmer Zhang Yufei to win the silver medal.
2024 Paris Olympics
Defending gold medalist Maggie McNeil finished fifth, less than a second behind the top five.
Husk’s gold medal was the second for the U.S. team at these Olympics, after the men’s swimming team won the 4×100-meter freestyle relay on Saturday night.
The Arlington, Virginia, native won silver in the 4×100-meter medley relay in Tokyo, her first Olympic gold medal.
“It’s just awesome,” Walsh said. “I feel like the crowd was amazing. Just watching the men’s 400-meter individual medley was awesome. To get first and second on the podium today is just awesome.”
