One is an imposing, athletic 6-footer, the other is a double-jointed sprinter with “uncanny flexibility.” Their personalities differ. But both are ready for the spotlight in Paris.
The ancient parenting aphorism is that you’re only as happy as your least-happy child. Given that, Glynis and Robert Walsh had quite a dilemma on their hands at U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials in 2021.
“She gave us permission to celebrate Alex,” Glynis Walsh says. Amid her own heartbreak, it was a generous gesture that lifted everyone. And then the following month she felt conflicted while sitting at home in Nashville, watching Alex swim in Tokyo. So today, the Walshes are celebrating Alex and Gretchen simultaneously. The sisters are both in Paris as U.S. Olympians. After winning a silver medal in Tokyo, Alex is again a prime medal contender in the 200 IM. And Gretchen has broken through, tapping into her prodigious talents to make the U.S. team in the 100 butterfly, 100 freestyle and 50 freestyle; she’s a major relay factor as well.
Alex is an imposing 6-footer with plenty of athleticism, but Gretchen was always built like the ultimate swimming machine. She’s 6'3", with the requisite long limbs to move large amounts of water. But she’s also double-jointed in her arms and legs—giving her an “uncanny flexibility,” in the words of her coach at Virginia, Todd DeSorbo. That’s a huge advantage.
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