2026 Speedo Fort Lauderdale Open
- Wednesday, April 29 – Saturday, May 2, 2026
- Fort Lauderdale, Florida
- Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Center
- LCM (50 meters)
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Gretchen Walsh dominated the field in the 100 fly at the Speedo Fort Lauderdale Open tonight, lowering her own World Record as she touched in 54.33. That was over four seconds faster than world junior record holder Claire Curzan‘s 58.44 for silver, and is the fastest time in the world this season by nearly two seconds.
2025-2026 LCM Women 100 FLY
WALSH
WR 54.33
| 2 | Regan SMITH | USA | 55.94 | 06/05 |
| 3 | Angelina KOHLER | GER | 56.35 | 04/23 |
| 4 | Mizuki Hirai | JPN | 56.70 | 09/13 |
| 5 | Roos Vanotterdijk | BEL | 56.74 | 05/15 |
Walsh sliced 0.27 seconds from her previous world record of 54.60, set at this meet 12 months ago, which at the time was the first swim under 55 seconds. She was 55.39 in prelims this year, three-tenths of a second slower than the 55.09 she clocked in the morning heats in 2025.
This swim marked the fourth time that Walsh has set the world record in the 100 fly, and she is now the owner of the top 13 performances in history. Sarah Sjoestroem, whose record of 55.48 from the 2016 Olympic Games had withstood the attentions of Maggie MacNeil, Torri Huske, Zhang Yufei, and Emma McKeon, is still the second-fastest performer in history but now more than a second back of Walsh.
Women’s 100m Fly, Women’s All-Time Top Ten Performers
- Gretchen Walsh (USA) – 54.33, Speedo Fort Lauderdale Open
- Sarah Sjoestroem (SWE) – 55.48, 2016 Olympic Games
- Torri Huske (USA) – 55.52, 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials
- Maggie MacNeil (CAN) – 55.59, 2020(1) Olympic Games
- Regan Smith (USA)/Zhang Yufei (CHN) – 55.62, 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials/2020 Chinese Nationals
- –
- Emma McKeon (AUS) – 55.73, 2020(1) Olympic Games
- Roos Vanotterdijk (BEL) – 55.84, 2025 World Championships
- Dana Vollmer (USA) – 55.98, 2012 Olympic Games
- Liu Zige (CHN) – 56.07, 2009 Chinese Games
In total, Walsh owns 19 of the 54 sub-56 swims in history, more than a third. All 19 of those have come in the past 24 months. Sarah Sjoestroem is next on the list with 11 sub-56 swims.
Walsh has now broken 55 seconds on four occasions. The first came at the 2025 Pro Swim Series, the second at 2025 U.S. Nationals, the third at the 2025 World Championships, and the fourth tonight.
She has been faster than the former world record 13 times in less than two years, ever since she first claimed the record at the 2024 Olympic Trials in June of that year.
Gretchen Walsh‘s Swims Under Sjoestroem’s Former World Record (55.48), Women’s 100m Fly
- 54.33 – 05/02/2026, Speedo Fort Lauderdale Open (Finals)
- 54.60 – 05/03/2025, Pro Swim Series – Ft. Lauderdale (Finals)
- 54.73 – 07/28/2025, Singapore World Championships (Finals)
- 54.76 – 06/05/2025, U.S. Nationals (Finals)
- 55.09 – 05/03/2025, Pro Swim Series – Ft. Lauderdale (Heats)
- 55.18 – 06/15/2024, U.S. Olympic Trials (Semi-Finals)
- 55.20 – 03/06/2026, Pro Swim Series – Westmont (Finals)
- 55.22 – 03/21/2026, China Open Swimming Championships (Finals)
- 55.29 – 06/05/2025, U.S. Nationals (Heats)
- 55.31 – 03/06/2026, Pro Swim Series – Westmont (Semi-Finals)/55.31 – 06/16/2024 – U.S. Olympic Trials (Finals)
- –
- 55.38 – 07/27/2024, Paris 2024 Olympic Games (Semi-Finals)
- 55.39 – 05/02/2026, Speedo Fort Lauderdale Open (Heats)
Walsh’s splits tonight were faster on both 50s than in her previous record, although the biggest difference came on the first 50. She was out in 25.09, 0.23 seconds faster than her swim 12 months ago, before closing in 29.24. That appears to be the 4th-fastest second 50 split ever in a women’s 100 fly race, after three Regan Smith swims (28.94, 29.11, 29.20).
Split Comparison
| 2026 Speedo Fort Lauderdale Open – 54.33 | 2025 Pro Swim Series – 54.60 | 2025 World Championships – 54.73 | 2025 U.S. Nationals – 54.76 | |
| 1st 50 | 25.09 | 25.32 | 25.16 | 25.19 |
| 2nd 50 | 29.24 | 29.28 | 29.57 | 29.57 |
Her two most recent sub-55 swims saw her go out in 25.1, but she had been slightly slower coming home than she was in her 54.60 swim. This time, she managed to get the best of both worlds for an improvement on both 50s.
The 100 fly was one of the first events Walsh broke out in in long course, placing 2nd at U.S. Nationals in 2023 in a time of 56.34 to qualify for the World Championships team.
She would go on to finish 8th in Fukuoka in a time of 57.58, having notched a slightly faster 57.14 in the semi-finals. Her swim from U.S. Nationals would have placed 2nd, 0.11 seconds ahead of Maggie MacNeil.
Although Walsh owned the world record and the three fastest times in history by the time of the Olympic final in Paris, she was out-touched by teammate Torri Huske for gold, winning silver in a time of 55.63. Huske was just 0.04 seconds ahead in 55.59, but since that race Walsh is yet to be beaten.
She won gold in Singapore last summer in 54.73, more than a second ahead of silver medalist Roos Vanotterdijk, and had already racked up seven 55-point swims this season before her world record tonight.
While Walsh owns the 100 fly record, Sjoestroem’s 50 fly world record of 24.43 does still stand. With Walsh just 0.23 seconds off at 2025 U.S. Nationals, that mark could be in serious danger this summer.
What’s more impressive her 100 fly SCY, SCM, LCM world record?
She’s only 1.5 off her SCM record now and she’s a beast underwater so I’m scared how much lower she’ll take that this year
Fast real fast, congrats to Gretchen, what a champion.
imagine if she breaks the record by this much for the next few years (In ft. Lauderdale). she’d be the first woman under 53 as well (this statement is PURELY hypothetical)
Just watched the social kick video, courtesy the info below. Her reaction time seems better.
After that into-the-wind 50 face off with KD Friday, I want to see a H2H 100 matchup between them. KD swam faster after surfacing, could she overcome two GW underwaters? Or at least keep close enough to be 2nd fastest ever?
Gretchen’s arms are too long for a fast 50 tempo
Question: How do you go from a finalist in Fukuoka to a WR holder couple months later in 2024 and then fast forward manage to beat Sjöström’s time by more than a second ? How is that possible ?
brother, you are in wrong place asking those question, she is American, all that matters.
Why has she also not seen a corresponding drop in her freestyle events? Over the same span her 100 free improved by mere tenths and probably much of that is due to her mastery of underwaters/turns. She was 53 sec in the 100 free at 16. It must be some special magic elixir that only works for certain strokes.
Sarah’s old record was slow
Aside from the 50 fly… have to think she has at *least* a 52 low in her for the 100 free.
Has anyone measured her wingspan? From this photo I’m guessing about… albatross?
Lol I texted a UVa coach to ask and they said “I’m not sure, I’ll bring my tape measure to practice tomorrow.”
I think they were being serious…?
We’ll probably have to use the same “offset” on this measurement as we do with their hand timing.
Yeah, Todd would probably say 6’11”.
😁
☠️ 💀 ☠️ 💀 💀
She could put the 100fly record out of reach for the next 20 or 30 years
Maybe Sarah’s old record slow?