American Gretchen Walsh Wreaks Havoc On 100 Fly

2025 SWIMMING WORLD CUP – CARMEL

• October 10-12, 2025
• Carmel, Indiana
• SCM (25 meters)
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  • Prelims: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3
  • Finals: Day 1 | Day 2

The final session of action at the 2025 World Aquatics Swimming World Cup in Carmel, Indiana, brought a new World Cup record in the women’s 100m butterfly.

Opening in 24.79 and closing in 28.90, American Gretchen Walsh established a new World Cup Record of 53.69, beating tonight’s competitors by over a second.

Australian Alex Perkins was next to the wall in 54.93 while Belgian Roos Vanotterdijk rounded out the podium in 55.64.

Walsh owns the fastest time ever in the SCM 100 fly, boasting a lifetime best and World Record of 52.71, set at the 2024 Short Course World Championships.

The American’s time of 53.69 this evening erased the 54.78 Canadian Olympian Maggie MacNeill’s record in 2022.

Walsh’s outing this evening also nabbed a new U.S. Open Record, overtaking her previous mark of 54.43.

Women’s 100 Butterfly – Heats

• World Record: 52.71 – Gretchen Walsh (USA), 2024
• World Cup Record: 54.43 – Gretchen Walsh (USA), 2025
• World Junior Record: 55.39 – Claire Curzan (USA), 2021
• U.S. Open Record: 54.43 – Gretchen Walsh (USA), 2025

Final:

1. Gretchen Walsh (CLB) – 53.69
2. Alexandria Perkins (AUS) – 54.93
3. Roos Vanotterdijk (BEL) – 55.64
4. Alex Shackell (CLB) – 55.78
5. Olivia Wunsch (AUS) – 56.97
6. Ellen Walshe (IRL) – 57.27
7. Brittany Castelluzzo (AUS) – 57.59
8. Leah Shackley (CLB) – 57.65

Gretchen Walsh got out in front on the first length and never looked back, utilising her underwater to take a dominant victory and break her own newly set World Cup and U.S. Open Records in 53.69. She was out in 24.79, quick enough to have taken 3rd behind herself and Alex Perkins in the individual 50 last night.

For her part, Perkins set a new best time, breaking her own Australian and Oceanian Records in 54.93. That is her second Oceanian Record of the meet after shaving four hundredths off the 50 fly mark last night, when she also took silver behind Walsh.

Roos Vanotterdijk hacked almost a second off the Belgian Record to take 3rd in a new best of 55.64, giving us a like-for-like copy of the 50 fly podium from yesterday, as well as the same three swimmers who took home the medals at long course worlds this summer.

Alex Shackell was just outside the medals in 55.78, with over a second separating her from 5th place finished Olivia Wunsch,