Janice R. Andrews
Gretchen Walsh will compete for the USA Swimming squad in the 100m freestyle event at the Paris Olympics in lieu of Kate Douglass, marking a significant change to the roster. Douglass choose to abandon the 100-meter freestyle in order to concentrate on her other events, USA Swimming revealed.
Famous swimmer Kate Douglass will focus on her two-time world champion 200-meter individual medley and her two silver medals from the 200-meter breaststroke. In the 100-meter freestyle at the previous two world championships, Douglass finished fourth.
The 100-meter freestyle event will include Walsh and Torri Huske competing, according to the most recent World Aquatics entry list, which was made public on Friday. Douglass won first place in the 100-meter freestyle at last month’s trials, followed by Huske and Walsh. The Olympic team is made up of the top two swimmers in each event.
Gretchen Walsh also made her first Olympic team in the 50-meter freestyle and 100-meter butterfly, where she set a world record during the trials.
Douglass and Walsh attend the University of Virginia for their training. Douglass would have had a busy schedule on July 31 if she had kept her place in the 100-meter freestyle. The women’s 200-meter breaststroke semifinals were scheduled to begin at 9:46 p.m. local time, while the women’s 100-meter freestyle final was scheduled to begin at 8:30 p.m.
Douglass does not have to compete in the individual 100-meter freestyle; she can still compete in the women’s 4×100-meter freestyle relay and medley relays.
