Budapest, Hungary (virginiasports.com): “World records are great, but to be a world champion is the coolest thing ever…” said UVA Swimming Star Gretchen Walsh after she capped off an interstellar run of form with a gold medal in the 50-meter freestyle at the World Aquatics 25m Championships.  The time she set to earn her gold was the second-fastest time ever in the history of the event, at 24.01.  The only person to notch a faster was…herself, one day earlier, in the semifinal.  That race was a blistering, world record swim of 23.94.  The medal was her first world championship in an individual event in her young career, and considering how many world records she has set in 2024 alone, along with making her first Olympic team, there will likely be much more to come from the UVA senior.