Paris Olympics: Huske edges out Walsh for gold in women's 100m butterfly

Torri Huske triumphed over her U.S. teammate and world record holder, Gretchen Walsh, to win the women's 100 metres butterfly gold by a mere 0.04 seconds on an electrifying night at the Paris Olympic pool on Sunday.

Huske, the 2022 world champion, touched the wall in 55.59 seconds, clinching the US team's first individual swimming gold of the 2024 Games. Walsh, who had led at the turn and was on world record pace, secured the silver medal with a time of 55.63 seconds. China's Zhang Yufei completed the podium by taking the bronze.

This victory was particularly sweet for Huske, who narrowly missed out on a butterfly medal at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago by just 0.01 seconds. With a powerful finish, she moved from third to first in the final 25 metres of the race.

"My first 50 felt really good, and then I've been working on my second 50 a lot," Huske said. "Especially after last year, I had kind of a weak finish, and I kind of died in my race, and like last Olympics also, I lost it all in the last 50. So I really wanted to have a good, strong last 50."

Huske's win maintained the event's history of never having a repeat winner since its inception in 1956. Canada's reigning champion, Maggie Mac Neil, finished fifth.

Walsh, who had set an Olympic record of 55.38 seconds in the semi-final on Saturday, expressed her nerves and the pressure she felt.

"I think I was definitely nervous before. I feel like there was a lot of pressure on me just having gone the world record and the Olympic record last night," she said. "I just wanted to try to execute the race as best as I could, and it was definitely a fight to the finish. And seeing the one-two up there though was amazing. I'm so proud of Torri. I'm proud of myself."

Walsh had set the world record at the US trials in Indianapolis last month. Despite falling short of her record-setting time, she celebrated the shared success with Huske, saying, "I think that was what America needed and wanted, and it was a really special moment that we shared out there on the podium."

The pair stood together on the top step of the podium for the anthem, with Zhang joining them afterwards. Zhang had previously expressed concerns about her rivals' perceptions following a Chinese doping controversy.

This victory marked a significant achievement for the US swimming team, showcasing their strength and unity in the face of intense competition.