By Rory Carroll
INDIANAPOLIS (Reuters) – Gretchen Walsh kicked off the U.S. Olympic Trials for swimming in Indianapolis with a bang on Saturday, setting a world record in the women’s 100m butterfly to send a message to the world with just over a month to go before the Paris Games.
Walsh led from the outset, made the turn at a world record pace and looked up in disbelief after she touched the wall in 55.79 seconds as a crowd of thousands leapt to their feet and roared.
Her performance in the semi-final heat beat the previous record of 55.48 seconds, which was set by Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom in 2016.
The trials will determine the U.S. team for Paris and are being held over nine consecutive nights at Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts.
It is expected to be the largest swim meet ever.
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Indianapolis, editing by Deepa Babington)
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