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Walsh Breaks 100m Butterfly World Record, Marchand Wins Two Golds

5/3/2026

28 6 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

Gretchen Walsh set a 100-metre butterfly world record of 54.33 seconds at the Fort Lauderdale Open on May 3 2026.
Walsh now holds the 13 fastest 100-metre butterfly times and leads Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom by more than a second.
Leon Marchand won the 200-metre breaststroke in 2:09.04 and the 200-metre individual medley in 1:57.28, his fourth gold of the meet.

History

Historical Context

In 2009, Michael Phelps lowered the 100-m butterfly world record to 49.82 s at the Rome World Championships, capping a period of rapid record-breaking spurred by high-tech suits and his 2008 Olympic success. Today, American Gretchen Walsh’s 54.33 s at the Fort Lauderdale Open echoes that breakthrough, prompting federations to invest in advanced training.

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Story summary

Gretchen Walsh set a 100-metre butterfly world record of 54.33 seconds at the Fort Lauderdale Open on May 3 2026.
Walsh now holds the 13 fastest 100-metre butterfly times and leads Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom by more than a second.
Leon Marchand won the 200-metre breaststroke in 2:09.04 and the 200-metre individual medley in 1:57.28, his fourth gold of the meet.

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