ALEX WALSH

NATIONALITY American
HOMETOWN Nashville, Tennessee
DATE OF BIRTH 31/07/2001
DISCIPLINE Individual Medley/Breaststroke
CLUB/COLLEGE New York Athletic Club (NYAC) and University of Virginia (UVA)
COACH Todd Desorbo (UVA)
FOLLOW ALEX ON

BIOGRAPHY

Alex Walsh capped off 2024 with six medals to add to her growing collection of silverware at the World Short-Course Championships in Budapest.

Alex led off the USA women’s 4x200m freestyle relay as they won gold in a world record time of 7:30.13 and swam the prelims of the 4x100m medley relay before the American quartet set another global standard en-route to the title. She won silver and bronze in the 200m individual medley and 200m breaststroke respectively as well as two further relay medals.

“Doing short-course meters is always tricky, because we don’t do it too often in the States,” she said. “I am happy learning while racing and also getting a chance to race. It’s very good racing to practice for future World Championships and Olympics.”

In March 2025, Alex represented the University of Virginia at the NCAA Women’s Championship for the fifth time. By winning the 100m breaststroke, Alex became the first swimmer to capture titles in five different individual events during her career since Tracy Caulkins won six different races during her time at the University of Florida in the 1980s.

Alex concluded her collegiate career with 23 titles as UVA claimed their fifth straight title and she is the first and only female swimmer to win events across five NCAA meets.

She has bought a house with sister Gretchen in Charlotteville with the pair training alongside the UVA women’s team as professionals.

“The fact that we kind of solidified ourselves as history makers. We know for a fact that we’ve already left our legacy and I feel very honoured to be a part of it,” Alex told 29news.com. “Also to know that I’ve become the athlete I dreamed of being when I was little. It doesn’t get much better than that.”

GENERAL QUICK FACTS

Favorite sportsperson or team (other than swimming)
Former tennis player Maria Sharapova, winner of five Grand Slam singles titles
Favorite vacation spot and why
Kauai, Hawaii. Beautiful scenery and the cool ways to see it like via boat or helicopter
Public person you admire
Actress Reese Witherspoon
Favorite book(s)/author(s)
“Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen
Favorite artist or work of art
Monet
Items you’d want on a desert island
My favorite hair clip, blanket, Netflix subscription
If you could be any character in fiction, who would you be?
Blair Waldorf from Gossip Girl
If you could be a superhero, what would you want your superpowers to be?
To be able to fly
If someone wrote a biography about you, what do you think the title should be?
Something about my sister Gretchen and I swimming together like “Splitting the Lane”
What you’d like to do in your life after swimming
Interior or jewellery designer

SWIMMING QUICK FACTS

Proudest moment in swimming
Breaking an individual American record in the 200IM in short course yards at the NCAA Championship in March 2022
Least favorite part of swimming
Early morning alarms
Funniest moment in swimming
Getting yelled at for talking to Gretchen while the set is being explained
Favorite/least favorite training set and why
My favorite set is any 200 breaststroke set. My least favorite is a kicking pyramid with socks on
Favorite Race/Training suits and why
arena Challenge Back practice suits and arena Carbon Glide racing suits
Best piece of equipment and why
Snorkel for aerobic freestyle work
Favorite Food after training
Protein shake and cereal
Most annoying type of swimmer
Constant complainer
Favorite Pool in the world and why
Irvine, California. It’s a fast pool but I also have very good memories there of being with my friends and learning how to deal with nerves as a young swimmer trying to qualify for international meets

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

2025 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS, SINGAPORE
SILVER 200m Individual Medley
2024 WORLD SHORT-COURSE CHAMPIONSHIPS, BUDAPEST
GOLD 4x100m Medley Relay
GOLD 4x200m Freestyle Relay
SILVER 200m Individual Medley
SILVER 4x100m Mixed Medley Relay
BRONZE 200m Breaststroke
BRONZE 4x50m Mixed Medley Relay
2023 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS, FUKUOKA
SILVER 200m Individual Medley
2022 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS, BUDAPEST
GOLD 200m Individual Medley
GOLD 4x200m Freestyle Relay
GOLD 4x100m Mixed Medley Relay
2022 WORLD SHORT-COURSE CHAMPIONSHIPS, MELBOURNE
GOLD 4x50m Freestyle Relay
GOLD 4x100m Medley Relay
GOLD 4x50m Mixed Medley Relay
SILVER 200m Individual Medley
SILVER 4x50m Medley Relay
BRONZE 4x200m Freestyle Relay
2020 OLYMPIC GAMES, TOKYO
SILVER 200m Individual Medley
2019 PAN AMERICAN GAMES, LIMA
GOLD 200m Backstroke
GOLD 200m Individual Medley
GOLD 4x200m Freestyle Relay
2018 JUNIOR PAN-PACIFIC CHAMPIONSHIPS, SUVA
GOLD 200m Individual Medley
GOLD 4x100m Freestyle Relay
2017 WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS, INDIANAPOLIS
SILVER 4x100m Freestyle Relay
SILVER 4x100m Medley Relay
2016 JUNIOR PAN-PACIFIC CHAMPIONSHIPS, MAUI
SILVER 200m Individual Medley

INSIDE ALEX’S BAG

Python Mirror Goggles
Powerskin Primo Open Back
Team Swimsuit Challenge Solid
FIND MORE ON OUR SHOP