Right in a sock and slipped carefully inside a drawer in Charlottesville, in Virginia by Gretchen Walsh, is four pieces of metal that weigh 6,428 pounds combined.
The 6,428 pounds of metal include the four medals – two gold and two silver – the native of Nashville won at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. The 6,428 pounds of metal are a great reason why Walsh, a graduate of Harpeth Hall and Senior of the University of Virginia, is the Tennessean sportsman of the year 2024.
The 6,428 pounds of metal are not the best travel companions.
Sister, sister: Alex, Gretchen Walsh has gone from floating in Nashville pools at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games
MORE: How Polly Linden helped build the swimmers of Harpeth Hall in Olympic contenders
MORE: He was the first Olympic gold medalist in Tennessee – and he did it 100 years ago in Paris
“I didn’t want to bring them home with me because they are really heavy, and they also stop me by TSA because they look very suspect on the X -ray machine,” said Walsh , which won gold in the 400 Relaying Medley and 400 mixtures and silver relays in the 100 butterfly and 400 free relay. “It’s this big black circle and it’s not warm and friendly, let’s just say that.”
Walsh broke the world record in 100 butterflies in June during American Olympic tests in Indianapolis and in the 400 swimming relays mixed in Paris.
Walsh added seven other gold medals to the world short-term world championships earlier this month in Budapest, where she broke the world records 11 times more, including nine in individual events.
It’s 14 times, she broke world records.
Fourteen.
Without forgetting, she – with her older sister, Alex – helped Virginia to her fourth consecutive NCAA team championship in March. Gretchen won seven events there.
“I don’t wear them often,” said Walsh about his Olympic medals. “From time to time, I come out of the sock. I like to try to remember:” Oh, my God. It really happened, and it was I who did that. “”
“How is it going at the moment?”
Gretchen Walsh was, from all things, halfway up during a warming between his free semi-final and the final of the 100 Mixed Swimming on August 3 when the most heartbreaking moment shone in front of his eyes.
She had just looked at Alex winning the bronze medal in the 200 individual swimming.
She was looking forward to “going to give her a big hug”.
This big hug for his sister, who led halfway through the racing and entered the fastest qualification time, turned out to be more for comfort than celebration.
“I saw this, as, the Red square appears on the screen, and it was next to the name of Alex,” said Gretchen. “It was the symbol of disqualification. It was really heartbreaking. First of all, I was in shock, like:” How is it going at the moment? “”
Gretchen Walsh: Olympics Swimming Record Holder in Paris 2024 with Sister Alex what know
Alex, who won Silver during the Tokyo 2022 games event, had made an illegal backstroke transition to Breassroke.
Gretchen “didn’t know what to do.”
What she did was to show her courage by helping the mixed relay to gain gold, establishing a world record in the process.
“She certainly thought about it,” said Gretchen about her sister. “I think she has accepted it, but it will always be there, so it’s sad. The relay on which I was, I wanted to swim for it and do it in honor of Alex. I wanted to make her proud. “”
“ Seeing them brought all kinds of emotions ”
The most precious memory of Gretchen Walsh of the Paris Games is not rooted to a gold record or a world record, but following a scary defeat.
Walsh was the favorite towards the 100 butterflies final, fresh out of an Olympic record time in the semi-finals. She finished second, 0.04 seconds behind her American teammate Torri Huske.
.04 seconds.
“I was not super happy to have obtained the second,” said Gretchen. “I was the world’s favorite to get the first.”
After winning a victory tour with Huske and standing next to her on the podium, Walsh spotted her parents, Glynis and Robert, in the stands.
“Once I saw them, I completely broke down and I realized that there was no reason why I was upset about it,” she said. “It was the greatest moment in my swimming career and seeing them brought all kinds of emotions.
“I really moved away from this victory tour, this medal ceremony being proud of myself and I felt grateful to have had the opportunity to represent my country and show myself that I am able to realize my greatest dream of all time. “
“No one really cares about what you did during the summer”
Eight years ago, at the age of 13, Gretchen Walsh was the youngest competitor of the American Olympic trials. Three years ago, she failed to go to Tokyo. This year, she is a double Olympic gold medalist.
It has not finished either.
Walsh said she planned to swim at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, if she qualified.
For the moment, however, she tries to be as “normal” a college student as she can. Trying, with her sister, to help Virginia win another national championship.
“I feel like I’m going back to school was super humiliating,” said Walsh. “As, in class, no one really cares about what you have done during the summer. In many ways, I am treated normally at school.”
Outside the classroom may be different.
“It’s weird, because people certainly recognize that I may be a little celebrity on campus, which is so crazy,” said Walsh.
Breakout (I don’t know how to format them for the web and / or printing)
One year to remember
The victories of Gretchen Walsh in 2024
Olympic Games
400 swim relays (gold); Relay mixed 400 swimming (gold); 100 butterflies (money; world record broken during American Olympic tests), 400 free relays (money)
Short lesson in the world
50 free (2 world records); 100 free; 50 butterfly (2 WR); 100 butterfly (3 WR); 100 individual mixture (2 WR); 400 free relay (1 WR); 400 four -swim relays (1 WR).
NCAA Championships
50 free; 100 free; 100 butterfly; 200 free relays; 400 free relay; 200 relays four swimming; 400 Quatre swims; Team title.
Paul Skrbina is a journalist from the sports company covering predators, titans, Nashville SC, local colleges and local sports for Tennessean. Join it at pskrbina@tennessan.com and on the X platform (formerly known as Twitter) @PaULSKRBINA. Follow his work here.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: why Gretchen Walsh is 2024 Tennessean sportsman of the year
Leave a Reply