After narrowly missing the Olympic podium in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Arlington swimmer Torri Huske won gold in the 100-meter butterfly on Sunday, beating fellow Team USA swimmer Gretchen Walsh by 0.04 seconds.
“I feel like I’m in shock right now, like I don’t even know how to process it,” she told NBC News in an interview after the race.
Huske, a 21-year-old from Arlington, soared through the pool and completed the race with a final time of 55.39. She finished just milliseconds before Walsh, who broke the Olympic record for this race in the trials on Saturday. While Walsh had the lead in the first half of the 100-meter race, Huske inched her out for first place in the final seconds.
“I don’t really remember my race that much. My first 50 (meters) felt good, and then I’ve been really working on my second 50 a lot, especially after last year,” Huske said, according to a post on the Olympics website.
Zhang Yufei, representing China, came third with a time of 56.21.
“I’m just so happy that we’re both going to be 1-2 USA on the podium today,” Walsh said.
This win is a big moment for Huske, who missed the bronze by just 0.01 seconds in Tokyo.
“I missed the podium last time by a hundredth, so I’m so thankful to be here, and to do it with Gretchen is amazing,” Huske said. “I’ve had a long road, but I’ve had a lot of support.”
This is Huske’s third Olympic medal. She won silver in the 4x 100m Medley Relay in Tokyo and in the 4x 100m freestyle relay on Saturday.
Feature image of Torri Huske courtesy Mike Lewis/USA Swimming
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