by Stuffed into a sock and neatly tucked into a drawer in Gretchen Walsh’s apartment in Charlottesville, Virginia, are four pieces of metal that weigh a total of 6,428 pounds.
The 6,428 pounds of metal make up the four medals – two gold and two silver – won by the Nashville native at the 2024 Olympics in Paris. The 6,428 pounds of metal is a big reason why Walsh, a Harpeth Hall graduate and University of Virginia senior, is the 2024 Tennessee Sportsman of the Year.
6,428 pounds of metal aren’t the best traveling companions.
SISTER, SISTER: Alex and Gretchen Walsh went from swimming in Nashville pools to the 2024 Paris Olympics
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“I didn’t want to take them home with me because they’re very heavy, and they always get me stopped by TSA because they look very suspicious on the x-ray machine,” said Walsh, who won gold in the 400m. medley relay and 400m mixed medley relay, and silver in the 100 butterfly and 400 free relay. “It’s this big black circle and it doesn’t look warm and friendly, let’s just say that.”
Walsh broke the world record in the 100 butterfly in June at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Indianapolis and the 400 medley and mixed medley relays in Paris.
Walsh added seven more gold medals at the short course world championships earlier this month in Budapest, where she broke world records 11 more times, including nine in the individual events.
This is 14 times that she has broken world records.
Fourteen.
Not to mention, she — along with her older sister, Alex — helped Virginia win its fourth straight NCAA team championship in March. Gretchen won seven events there.
“I don’t wear them often,” Walsh said of his Olympic medals. “Every once in a while, I take them out of the sock. I like to try to remind myself, ‘Oh, my God. That really happened, and I did that.’ “
“How is this going right now?” »
Gretchen Walsh was, among other things, mid-back during a warm-up between her 50m freestyle semi-final and the 100m mixed medley relay final on August 3 when the most heartbreaking moment appeared before her eyes .
She had just seen Alex win the bronze medal in the 200 IM.
She couldn’t wait to “give him a big hug.”
That big hug for her sister, who was leading at the halfway mark and entered with the fastest qualifying time, proved to be more of a comfort than a celebration.
“I saw a red square appear on the screen, and it was next to Alex’s name,” Gretchen said. “It was the symbol of disqualification. It was really heartbreaking. At first I was in shock, like, ‘How are things going right now?’ “
GRETCHEN WALSH: Olympic swimming record holder at Paris 2024 with her sister Alex, what you need to know
Alex, who won silver in this event at the 2022 Tokyo Games, had made an illegal transition from backstroke to breaststroke.
Gretchen “didn’t know what to do.”
What she did was show all her courage by helping the mixed relay win gold, thereby setting a world record.
“She really put a lot of thought into it,” Gretchen said of her sister. “I think she agreed, but it will always be there, so it’s sad. The relay I was in, I wanted to swim it for her and do it in honor of Alex. I wanted to make her proud. “
“Seeing them brought all kinds of emotions”
Gretchen Walsh’s most cherished memory of the Paris Games lies not in a gold medal or a world record, but in the aftermath of an agonizing defeat.
Walsh was the favorite heading into the 100 fly final, fresh off setting an Olympic record in the semifinals. She finished second, 0.04 seconds behind her American teammate Torri Huske.
0.04 seconds.
“I wasn’t too happy about finishing second,” Gretchen said. “I was the world favorite to finish first.”
After taking a victory lap with Huske and standing alongside her on the podium, Walsh spotted her parents, Glynis and Robert, in the stands.
“Once I saw them, I completely broke down and realized there was no reason for me to be upset about it,” she said. “It was the greatest moment of my swimming career and seeing them brought me all kinds of emotions.
“I really came away from that victory lap, from that medal ceremony, feeling proud of myself and grateful for the opportunity to represent my country and show myself that I am capable of achieving my greatest dream.”
“No one really cares what you did over the summer”
Eight years ago, at the age of 13, Gretchen Walsh was the youngest competitor at the U.S. Olympic Trials. Three years ago, Tokyo narrowly missed him. This year, she is a double Olympic gold medalist.
She’s not finished either.
Walsh said she plans to swim in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, if she qualifies.
For now, though, she’s trying to be as “normal” a student-athlete as possible. Trying, with his sister, to help Virginia win another national championship.
“I feel like going back to school has been really humbling,” Walsh said. “For example, in class, no one really cares what you did over the summer. In many ways, I’m treated normally at school.”
Outside of the classroom, things can be different.
“It’s weird, because people definitely recognize that I’m maybe a bit of a celebrity on campus, which is so crazy,” Walsh said.
BREAKOUT (I don’t know how to format them for web and/or print)
An unforgettable year
Gretchen Walsh’s victories in 2024
Olympic Games
400 medley relay (gold); 400m mixed medley relay (gold); 100 butterfly (silver; world record broken at US Olympic trials), 400 freestyle relay (silver)
Short course of the world
50 free (2 world records); 100 free; 50 butterflies (2 WR); 100 butterflies (3 WR); 100 individual medley (2 WR); 400 free relays (1 WR); 400 medley relay (1 WR).
NCAA Championships
50 free; 100 free; 100 butterflies; 200 free relays; 400 free relays; 200 medley relay; 400m medley relay; team title.
Paul Skrbina is a sports reporter who covers the Predators, Titans, Nashville SC, local colleges and local sports for The Tennessean. Contact him at pskrbina@tennessean.com and on Platform X (formerly Twitter) @paulskrbina. Follow his work here.
This article was originally published on Nashville Tennessean: Why Gretchen Walsh is the 2024 Tennessee Sportswoman of the Year
