See all of our 2024 Swammy Awards here
After struggling to hit her best times and perform on the big stage for several years, American Gretchen Walsh finally had her long awaited breakout in 2024, earning her the Swammy Award for Female Breakout Swimmer of the Year.
In high school, Walsh seemed primed to be one of the next swimming stars for the USA, throwing down some of the country’s fastest times in the sprint freestyle events. However, she always seemed to fall short of executing when it mattered most, failing to final at the 2021 US Olympic Trials and 2022 World Championship Trials. Despite that, Walsh kept persisting under coach Todd DeSorbo. Her first flashes of confidence were seen at the 2022 US National Championships, where she threw down a 54.77 in the 100 freestyle wearing a practice suit. At that same meet, she also contested the LCM 100 butterfly for the first time under DeSorbo, dropping a 57.44.
Moving into 2023, Walsh was finally swimming back at her previous level and she managed to qualify for the 2023 World Championships in multiple events. She later won an individual bronze in the 50 butterfly at Worlds, along with several relay medals to set herself up for 2024.
At the time, we didn’t know just how well Walsh had actually set herself up for 2024. In fact, nobody knew what was to come from the Virginia star.
Walsh started off her year on a tear on the NCAA stage, setting new US Open/American/NCAA records in the 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle, 50 backstroke, 100 backstroke, and 100 butterfly, going 3-for-3 for individual NCAA titles in one of the best performances in recent memory.
She then progressed into new territory at the 2024 US Olympic Trials meet, shattering Sarah Sjostrom’s World Record in the 100 butterfly with a 55.18, taking .3 off of Sjostrom’s previous mark (55.48) from 2016. She then went on to qualify for her first Olympic Team in 3 individual events, including the 50 free, 100 free, and 100 fly. In Paris, Walsh was upset by Torri Huske for the gold in the 100 fly. However, she still walked away from the meet with 2 gold and 2 silver medals, along with World Records in the mixed 4×100 medley relay and women’s 4×100 medley relay.
To close-out 2024, Walsh threw down one of the greatest single meet performances of all-time at the 2024 SC World Championships. Throughout the week-long competition, Walsh shattered record-after-record, totaling 9 individual World Records and 2 relay World Records, the most all-time for a single competition. She also won gold in 5 individual events, including the 50 freestyle, 50 butterfly, 100 freestyle, 100 butterfly, and 100 IM, hauling in 7 gold medals total, the 2nd most all-time amongst American women. Walsh’s performance was remarkable not just for its historical significance, but also for the fact that it cumulated a breakout season for her, certifying her as a star on the international swim scene and a force for many years to come.
The only real question that remains for Walsh is: “What’s next?” as she will certainly look to leave an impact on 2025, beginning with the NCAA Championships in March.
Honorable Mentions
- Mary-Sophie Harvey (Canada) – Despite representing Canada on the international stage for many years, Mary-Sophie Harvey had never picked up an individual World Championships medal until 2024. At the 2024 SC World Championships, the Quebec native dropped a massive personal best in the 200 freestyle, swimming a Americas record of 1:51.49 for the silver medal, just behind gold medalist Siobhán Haughey. Her time marked a major drop, as she cut 3.56 seconds off of her previous best in less than a 2 month period, a tremendous 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 in the 200 breaststroke, Weber had previously represented the US at the 2023 Pan American Games, finishing 5th in the 100 breaststroke. However, at Olympic Trials, Weber threw down a .38 second PB in the final of the 100 breaststroke, touching 2nd overall in a time of 1:06.10 to claim her spot on the Olympic Team ahead of defending Olympic Champion Lydia Jacoby. In Paris, Weber did not advance beyond the prelims, but contributed to the US women’s 4×100 medley relay by swimming the breaststroke leg in prelims, eventually earning a gold medal for her efforts. Weber herself did not believe she was going to qualify for the Olympic team, following her performance at Trials, she told reporters that she bought tickets to attend the Olympics as a spectator.
- Alex Shackell (USA) – After qualifying for the 2023 World Championships in the 4×200 freestyle relay, Alex Shackell managed to qualify individually for the 2024 Olympic Games, making finals in the 200 butterfly. The young star also picked up medals on the prelims of the 4×100 medley relay (gold) and the 4×200 freestyle relay (silver), building on the young core of USA Swimming. She carried that momentum into SC Worlds, where she picked up 4 medals, including golds on the women’s 4×100 medley relay and mixed 4×100 medley relay.
- Mona McSharry (Ireland) – Another NCAA product out of Tennessee, Mona McSharry surprised herself by winning a bronze medal in the 100 breaststroke at the 2024 Olympic Games. Her medal marked Ireland’s first Olympic medal in the pool since 1996, with her time of 1:05.51 setting a new National record in the event as well. McSharry had previously placed 8th in the same event at the Tokyo Olympic Games, marking a major improvement over the three-year Olympic cycle. The medal also marked her first major senior international medal in the long 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
Maybe one year summer will break out
She was an honourable mention in 2021 when Jacoby won the award. Once you’ve been an honourable mention you can’t win the award in the following year.
and Jacoby has clearly gone on to more greatness than Summer????? Can’t win many of these awards unless you are American.
the award isn’t meant to predict the future?
There are multiple athletes I’d give an honourable mention to before Weber including another breaststroker that did far better than Weber at the games: Angharad Evans
also at SC worlds
Completely agree,Weber perform so badly at Olympics and Short championships
Weber is an odd choice for me too.
I think there’s definitely an American bias there just because the SwimSwam staff know all the American athletes so well after following so many through age groups into college, that when one makes a team unexpectedly, it really sticks out to them.
Who else?