Gretchen Walsh finishes short course swim worlds with 11 world records, 7 gold medals

Gretchen Walsh finished the six-day world short course championships with 11 world records (nine individual) — believed to be the most by one swimmer at one meet — and seven gold medals.

Walsh, 21, capped things off Sunday with victories in the 50m freestyle and as part of the U.S. women’s 4x100m medley relay.

Walsh’s final stat sheet for the meet in Budapest:

50m freestyle: gold (two world records)
100m freestyle: gold (second-, third-fastest times in history)
50m butterfly: gold (two world records)
100m butterfly: gold (three world records)
100m individual medley: gold (two world records)
4x100m freestyle relay: gold (one world record)
4x100m medley relay: gold (one world record)

SHORT COURSE WORLDS: Full Results

“I am in a little bit of disbelief of myself honestly,” Walsh said Saturday, according to World Aquatics. “And not in a bragging way, but I don’t know if anyone has done this many back-to-back-to-back records. I think it’s really cool to do it, and I am honored honestly to be doing this at this stage and accomplishing what I am accomplishing.”

Walsh’s 11 total world records are more than the seven that Mark Spitz broke at the 1972 Olympics en route to seven gold medals and Michael Phelps broke at the 2008 Olympics en route to eight golds.

Phelps also held the previous record of individual world records at one championship meet — five at the 2005 Worlds — according to USA Swimming.

Overall, more than 25 world records were broken at these short course worlds, the most ever in the history of this biennial competition, which debuted in 1993.

The other Americans to break individual world records were Kate Douglass (200m breaststroke, 200m IM), Regan Smith (50m backstroke, 100m back, 200m back) and Luke Hobson (200m free, twice).

Short course worlds are held in 25-meter pools rather than the 50-meter pools used for the Olympics and the more traditional World Championships. Swimmers who are stronger off the walls and under water get a boost in the smaller pool.

The fields are usually shallower at short course worlds than other global championships. Phelps swam at one short course worlds in his career. Katie Ledecky has never entered a short course worlds.

Walsh did not face the Paris Olympic gold medalists in the 50m and 100m frees and the 100m fly this week. The 50m fly and the 100m IM are not on the Olympic program.

She became the third American swimmer to win five individual gold medals at one global championship meet after Phelps (2007 Worlds, 2008 Olympics) and Ryan Lochte (2010 Short Course Worlds).

She’s also the fourth American swimmer to win seven or more total gold medals at one global championship after Phelps (2007 Worlds, 2008 Olympics), Mark Spitz (1972 Olympics) and Caeleb Dressel (2017 World Championships).

Medal total records favor more recent swimmers given the number of events on championship programs has regularly increased over the years.

Though Walsh’s week was unprecedented, she was expected to dominate to a certain degree. Walsh, like many Americans, has rarely competed in a 25-meter pool.

But last winter, she completed one of the best seasons in the history of the NCAA, which uses similarly sized 25-yard pools.

That propelled Walsh to break her first world record at June’s Olympic Trials (100m fly), make her first Olympic team and win four medals at the Paris Games.

Walsh is in the middle of her senior season at the University of Virginia. The NCAA Championships are March 19-22 in Federal Way, Washington.