GGOATRANK
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Swimming · Butterfly / freestyle · United States

Gretchen Walsh

2021–present · World record holder in the 100 m butterfly and an Olympic relay champion in 2024.

Active
Ranking model

100% titles, statistics, dominance, longevity and global competition depth.

Pure sporting data
82.1
Cultural & brand footprint 46/100 · total legacy 71.8
World records
4
Olympic gold medals
2
World Championship titles
6
NCAA titles
10
Global finals contested
10

Category profile

Dominance
82
Peak
94
Longevity
64
Honours
84
Statistics
88

Career timeline · Form index per season

SeasonForm index per seasonShare of career
202164
202278
202388
202494
202596

Data sources

  • World Aquatics
  • Olympedia
  • European Aquatics

Figures come from public records and are normalised per sport. See the methodology for category weights. Method

Why Gretchen Walsh ranks #124 in Swimming

Gretchen Walsh ranks 124th among Swimming athletes on GOAT Rank and 1339th of 4013 across every sport in the index. The published GOAT Score of 82.1 is the weighted result of five verified category scores: Dominance 82, Peak 94, Longevity 64, Honours 84, Statistics 88. Those categories are normalised against the full Swimming reference universe of 289 records, not a shortlist, so the position reflects the whole sport rather than a handful of famous names.

The record covers 2021–present with 5 documented competitive seasons. The strongest single season in that series is 2025, which sets the Peak component at 94. Peak is the defining strength of the profile at 94 out of 100, and it carries 20% of the final score. The underlying career record includes world records 4, olympic gold medals 2, world championship titles 6, ncaa titles 10.

Immediately ahead sits Simona Quadarella on 82.2, a gap of 0.1 points. Directly behind is Mike Burton on 82.0. The position moves whenever the verified record moves: new titles, new seasons or a corrected source all feed straight back into the same formula, and every change is dated on this profile.

Gretchen Walsh GOAT Score explained

Dominance82/100 · weight 25%
Measures how far Walsh stood above the field while competing. Scored 82/100 against the full Swimming cohort.
Peak94/100 · weight 20%
Rates the best sustained stretch of the career, centred on 2025. Scored 94/100.
Longevity64/100 · weight 20%
Rewards staying at that level over time: 5 years of competition and 5 recorded seasons. Scored 64/100.
Honours84/100 · weight 20%
Counts documented titles, majors and awards in the verified record. Scored 84/100.
Statistics88/100 · weight 15%
Normalises the raw career numbers against everyone in the sport reporting the same metric. Scored 88/100.

Gretchen Walsh — frequently asked

Is Gretchen Walsh the GOAT?
Not on the current data. Gretchen Walsh ranks 124th in Swimming with a GOAT Score of 82.1, behind Michael Phelps on 98.1.
What is Gretchen Walsh's GOAT Score?
82.1 out of 100. It is the weighted sum of Dominance 82 (25%), Peak 94 (20%), Longevity 64 (20%), Honours 84 (20%), Statistics 88 (15%), computed from the verified career record.
Where does Gretchen Walsh rank all time?
1339th of 4013 eligible athletes in the cross-sport index, and 124th within Swimming.
Gretchen Walsh vs Simona Quadarella: who ranks higher?
Simona Quadarella, on 82.2 against Gretchen Walsh's 82.1 — a margin of 0.1 points.
Compare with Phelps