America took home gold and silver for the women’s 100-meter butterfly on Sunday. Silver medalist and Nashville native Gretchen Walsh now joins her older sister, Alex, who won a silver medal for swimming during the Tokyo Olympics.
While Walsh took to the Olympic pool in Paris, hundreds gathered in the gym of her Nashville alma mater to cheer her on, decked in red, white and blue — and green for Harpeth Hall’s school colors.
Before the Walsh sisters swam for Team USA, they competed on the all-girls school’s swimming team. As part of the watch party, current students recorded messages they wanted to send to the Walsh sisters as they compete in Paris this month.
Marianna Bacallao WPLN NewsOlympic swimmer Gretchen Walsh’s alma mater cheers her on as she wins silver in the 100-meter butterfly event.
Cate Monahan, a rising sophomore and swimmer at Harpeth Hall, was in the room when Gretchen Walsh set the world record for the event during Olympic trials last month.
“It’s just really cool to see two amazing swimmers come from the same place as us,” Monahan said. “The 100 butterfly is actually one of my events, and to just see Gretchen Walsh, especially, compete in one of my favorite events is just really cool.”
Walsh broke another record while at Harpeth Hall. At 13 years old, she became the youngest swimmer to compete in the Olympic trials.
Monahan’s teammate, Elizabeth Eyler, also showed up to cheer for the Walshes. She said it means a lot to see them compete.
Marianna Bacallao WPLN NewsHarpeth Hall celebrates alumni and Olympic swimmers Alex and Gretchen Walsh.
“Just seeing that it’s possible to make it to the Olympics, and knowing they started out swimming, like, with the Harpeth Hall school team,” Eyler said. “Just being able to follow in their paths.”
Harpeth Hall alumna Rachel King swam alongside the Walsh sisters on their high school team and returned to the school Sunday to show her support.
“It’s just really cool being able to walk in here and to see, finally, on all of these posters … two teammates that I got to know personally and now they’re representing our country, it just makes it even more special that I got the opportunity to swim with them,” King said.
Alex Walsh will compete in the 200-meter individual medley on Friday, Aug. 2.
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