After breaking the record in both the preliminary round and the semifinal, Walsh improved the record further in the final, to 52.71.
I'm definitely a little shocked. Every time I dive into the water, I've changed something to get better, so I'm glad I've been able to push the times down each time, she says after the final.
Louise Hansson was the Swedish hope in the final, but she missed the medal and had to settle for fourth place with a time of 55.23.
I'm a bit annoyed. It feels like I'm coming in a bit wrong in the ascent after the first 25, and that throws me off balance for the rest of the race. It's sour, says Hansson to SVT.
She swam in the inner lane next to Walsh, just like in the semifinal – a special feeling when the American is so superior.
It's so incredibly hard, it's a new situation to swim several seconds behind Gretchen, so you have like no feeling, no control over how you're doing, says Hansson.
Record again – an hour later
Walsh won with almost a two-second margin down to second-place Tessa Giele, the Netherlands. Alexandria Perkins, Australia, took care of the bronze.
Less than an hour later, it was time again. In the semifinal of the 50-meter freestyle, Walsh struck again with yet another world record – her ninth, including relay, in this championship. The new world record is 22.87.
World record in the men's final
On the men's side, it was also a world record on the 100-meter butterfly, when 23-year-old Noe Ponti from Switzerland broke the record with a new time of 47.71 in the World Championship final.
I have no words. To swim so fast and break a world record that belonged to Caeleb Dressel, who is one of my big idols, is completely crazy, says Ponti.
