Tonight Gretchen Walsh broke two very big barriers. She became the first woman to ever swim a sub-20 50 free, splitting 19.95 from a relay swing, as well as swimming a 20.57 in the individual 50 free, lowering her own hours-old record by .2.
Obviously, she is the fastest woman to ever come through the NCAA ranks. But if we look at these swims from a global perspective, does this make Gretchen Walsh the fastest woman ever? Obviously, the rest of the world doesn’t compete in yards pools, so it’s hard to compare.
But here’s my short-and-sweet, American rationale: until Sarah Sjostrom competes in a yards meet, Gretchen Walsh has the crown for fastest ever.
Don’t confuse this for GREATEST SPRINTER ever. I’m not THAT boisterous about yards swimming. But come on… no other woman has gone 19. And it’s not even close.
She’s the fastest in SCY. “Fastest ever” is a meaningless title without context. I ate some bad chicken last week and that food ran through me in seconds. I could make a claim for “fastest ever” based on that.
Gretchen has a claim to fastest US SCY swimmer.
Fastest women’s swimmer Sara S.
Fastest US swimmers Kate D., Simone M. and Abbey W.
Gretchen has a chance to enter the ranks this summer in LC. Can’t base fastest swimmer on an event that you swim six strokes for the length of the pool with 2/3 of the time underwater.
This is the other Swim Dad (didn’t know there was another here). Even my AG’s talk about how Meters is actual swimming racing. Yards is viewed as a contest of who can turn and underwater the best.
Convert Sarah Sjostrom 50 M LC 50 free to SC yards – check the time (20.05?), flat start, no turn, no underwaters
… in the great sport of bath tub… in the greatest country on earth…
Who hit the highest top-speed during their race, that should answer the question
The highest top speed would be immediately after hitting the water from the dive. The highest top speed over the water favours SCY because it’s a shorter race.
Follow up question: is Gretchen the fastest woman in the UVA training group???
NOOOOOO THIS IS SUCH BAIT FOR GRETCHEN TO GET HATED ON NOOOOOOOOOO
Don’t you love that greatness has to be questioned by those on their couch with digital muscles? Always a source of enjoyment. Gretchen, well done.
whoa, and the digital muscles could also refer to like, muscles in your fingers. (y’know, “digits.” and…keyboards.)