Team USA swimmer Torri Huske narrowly beat her teammate Gretchen Walsh for the gold medal in a nail-biting finish in the 100-meter butterfly race at the Paris Olympics on July 28.

Image credits: Tim Clayton/Corbis

Amid the excitement, it was not just the fierce competition that grabbed headlines but also an unexpected gesture on the podium made by the gold medalist.

The race saw Torri narrowly edge out her teammate Gretchen by a scant 0.04 seconds, clocking in at 55.59 seconds to her USA teammate’s 55.63 seconds. Meanwhile, China’s Zhang Yufei earned the bronze medal with a time of 56.21 seconds.

@iamcjo Torri Huske wins gold while teammate Gretchen Walsh wins silver in the women’s 100m Butterfly final!! #olympics2024 #paris2024 #teamusa #paris #olympics #torrihuske #gretchenwalsh ♬ Olympic Official Song Paris 2024 – Ed Puerto Producer

Torri Huske from Team USA narrowly beat her teammate Gretchen Walsh for the gold medal in the 100-meter butterfly race at the Paris Olympics

Image credits: Richard Heathcote/Getty Images

 

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“I first saw the light by the block. Seeing that was very surreal. I didn’t know how to process it,” Torri said after her victory.

“It’s just very overwhelming when you’ve been training for this moment for so long,” she added.

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The true highlight of the race came when Torri and Gretchen, both 21, were on top of the podium with the Chinese bronze-winner.

An unexpected moment was seen on the podium as the 21-year-old gold winner invited her teammate to share the top spot with her

After missing the podium in Tokyo, Torri Huske takes GOLD in the women’s 100m butterfly at the #ParisOlympics! 🤩 pic.twitter.com/bTVBwsMhKm

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) July 28, 2024

A heartwarming display of friendship was seen on the podium as Torri asked her teammate to join her on the top spot, turning a moment of personal triumph into one of shared celebration.

Image credits: Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images

But netizens had mixed feelings about the gesture, with one saying they have “never seen that done, kinda weird?”

“Awesome but awkward for the bronze medalist,” said a second comment, while a third said they “could have included the other young woman.”

Chinese bronze-winner Zhang Yufei, who was eventually invited to share the top spot with them, said it was a “really warming gesture”

Torri Huske invites silver medalist Gretchen Walsh up onto the gold medal podium ahead of the national anthem. You love to see it pic.twitter.com/jo9EPGQYlk

— Kendall Baker (@kendallbaker) July 28, 2024

The two Team USA winners eventually did invite the bronze medalist to join them in posing for photos and sharing the glorious moment together.

“It was a really warming gesture that they invited me on the podium,” Zhang later said.

Image credits: Yao Yingkang/Zhejiang Daily Press Group/VCG

Gretchen, who had set a new Olympic record of 55.38 seconds during the semifinals on 27 July, was poised to clinch the gold medal in Sunday’s race. But Torri beat the record-holder to take home the gold in the finals.

“I don’t really remember my race that much,” said the freshly crowned queen of the Women’s 100m Butterfly. “My first 50 (meters) felt good, and then I’ve been really working on my second 50 a lot, especially after last year.”

Torri won the race the day after Gretchen set a new Olympic record for the same event’s semifinals

 

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A post shared by Torri Huske🎤🐝 (@torri_huske)

 

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A post shared by Gretchen Walsh (@gretchwalsh2)

“I’ve kind of had a weak finish and I kind of died in my race [at the 2023 world championships], like lost it all in the last 50, so [I] really wanted to have a good strong last 50,” she added.

Meanwhile, Gretchen admitted after the race that she was “nervous” in the lead-up to the event.

“There was a lot of pressure on me, just having done the Olympic record last night,” she said. “I just wanted to execute the race as best as I could. It was definitely a fight to the finish, and seeing the one-two up there was amazing.”

“When there’s an American who’s on the podium with you, you always listen to the national anthem together,” the newly crowned queen of the Women’s 100m Butterfly said

 

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The top two race winners shared an embrace in the pool when they realized it was their moment of glory.

Image credits: Sarah Stier/Getty Images

“When I hit the wall I was like, ‘Ouch, that one hurt for sure,’ but I executed as best I could. I left it all out there in the pool,” Gretchen said.

Torri also touched upon the poignant moment she shared on the podium with Gretchen.

“It was just really cool to be up there with her. I feel like that’s like, what we always do,” she said and added, “When there’s an American who’s on the podium with you, you always listen to the national anthem together.”

As for Zhang, who is leaving Paris with a Bronze medal, said she felt a “bit slow” but is pleased with the final result.

“I feel it was a bit slow. But I was quite happy about the bronze medal,” the satisfied Chinese swimmer said after the race. “Earlier in the training I got quite a good score. I feel at least with the first half of the race I performed good.”

Image credits: Eurosport

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