The difference between winning a gold medal and a silver one at the Olympics sometimes comes down to a fraction of a second. That was the case in the women’s 100-meter butterfly swimming event.
After a nail-biting finish, U.S. swimmers Torri Huske and Gretchen Walsh won the gold and silver medals, respectively. They were separated by just 0.04 seconds.
Huske had a time of 55.59 seconds, narrowly edging out Walsh’s 55.63 seconds.
In a show of camaraderie, Huske invited Walsh to join her on the top part of the podium during the medal ceremony. They then sang the national anthem together, according to a video shared on X by NBC Olympics & Paralympics.
Both swimmers also took part in the 4x100-meter freestyle relay and helped the U.S. bring home the silver medal.
This summer is the first time since 1984 that U.S. swimmers have taken both the gold and silver in the 100-meter butterfly event. The last duo to achieve this feat was Mary T. Meagher and Jenna Johnson, according to Team USA.
Walsh led for most of this summer’s race, but Huske inched ahead during the final stretch.
The two teammates embraced after the race, visibly moved by their accomplishments. Huske appeared stunned by her victory.
During the U.S. Olympic trials, Walsh broke the world record with a time of 55.18 seconds, surpassing the previous record of 55.48 set by Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom at the 2016 Rio Olympics, according to Swim Swam.
Walsh also posted an impressive 55.38 seconds in the semifinals of the Olympics, according to The Associated Press.
“It was definitely a fight to the finish and seeing the 1-2 up there though was amazing,” Walsh said, per The Associated Press. “I’m so proud of Torri, I’m proud of myself. That was what America needed and wanted. It was a really special moment that we shared out there on the podium.”
Huske’s journey to this moment has been long. In the Tokyo Olympics, she missed the bronze by a slim margin, finishing fourth with a time of 55.73 seconds.
“I feel like I’m in shock right now,” Huske said in an interview after winning gold. “I don’t even know how to process it, I feel like I’m going to cry, but I’m also smiling. It’s really surreal.”
