Gretchen Walsh takes her swimming world records tally to 7 this week in Budapest

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — American swimmer Gretchen Walsh set three more world records on Friday at the world short course championships.

She lowered the 100-meter individual medley time to 55.11 seconds in the final, and the 100 butterfly record twice.

In the morning heats, Walsh broke Canadian Margaret Mac Neil's mark of 54.05 from 2022 to 53.24. Then she dropped it again in the evening semifinals to 52.87.

Walsh has seven world records in Duna Arena this week.

The U.S. men's 4x200 relay team achieved two world records in the same final.

The team clocked a winning 6:40.51, slashing nearly four seconds off its own record from the last championships in 2022 in Melbourne, Australia.

Also, Luke Hobson on the lead-off leg set the individual 200 freestyle world record that Peter Biedermann of Germany held since 2009.

Americans also claimed the day's other world records: Regan Smith won the women's 50 backstroke final in a world record time of 25.23, and Kate Douglass improved her own world record in the 200 breaststroke from October to 2:12.50.

The 25-meter pool is half the length of an Olympic pool.

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

Kate Douglass of the U.S. competes during the Women's 200m Breaststroke Heats on day four of the World Short Course Swimming Championships in Budapest, Hungary, Friday, Dec. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)

Regan Smith of the United States reacts after winning the 50-meter backstroke final at the World Short Course Swimming Championships in Budapest, Hungary, Friday, Dec. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)

Team USA celebrates after they won the 4x200-meter freestyle relay at the World Short Course Swimming Championships in Budapest, Hungary, on Friday, Dec. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)

Gretchen Walsh of the U.S. reacts after competing in the Women's 100m Butterfly Heats on day four of the World Short Course Swimming Championships in Budapest, Hungary, Friday, Dec. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)

Gretchen Walsh of the United States in action during the 100-meter butterfly semifinal at the World Short Course Swimming Championships in Budapest, Hungary, Friday, Dec. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan 12, 2026--

Today, a leading global wedding technology platform The Knot Worldwide (TKWW), announced the appointment of Michael Pickrum as Chief Financial Officer. With more than 25 years of experience in strategic finance, operations, and business development within the media and technology industries, Pickrum will oversee TKWW’s global finance organization. Pickrum joins TKWW at an exciting moment as the company celebrates its 30-year anniversary and continues to grow and scale with a focus on product innovation.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260112910392/en/

Pickrum joins TKWW from Maximum Effort, the media, marketing, and investment company co-founded by Ryan Reynolds, where he served as Chief Financial Officer. Before this, he held the roles of COO and CFO at ExecOnline, Inc., a B2B online leadership development company. Pickrum spent over 17 years at BET/Viacom, where he served as EVP and CFO starting in 2007. Prior to that, he was COO of BET Interactive. He earned his master's and bachelor's degrees in engineering from Stanford University and his MBA from The Wharton School.

“I am thrilled to be joining TKWW at such an important time in the company’s journey,” said Michael Pickrum, CFO, TKWW. “There is incredible power in celebrations and I am looking forward to working with the exceptional team at TKWW to further enable our millions of couples and 900,000 small business owners around the world to celebrate life’s most meaningful moments.”

“Michael is a world-class financial and operations leader with an impressive track record of driving strategic growth and operational excellence across media and technology companies,” said Raina Moskowitz, CEO, TKWW. “As we continue to grow and scale with a focus on product innovation, Michael’s deep expertise in strategic planning, analysis, and capital allocation will be critical to our ongoing success. We are thrilled to have him join our team and help guide TKWW through our next phase of growth.”

Pickrum is based in New York, NY and reports to TKWW Chief Executive Officer Raina Moskowitz.

About The Knot Worldwide
Across North America, Europe, Latin America, and Asia, The Knot Worldwide champions the power of celebration. The company’s global family of brands provides best-in-class products, services, and content to take celebration planning from inspiration to action. Through its wedding brands, including The Knot, WeddingWire, Bodas.net, Hitched.co.uk, Mariages.net, Matrimonio.com, and others, the company offers an extensive database of hundreds of thousands of wedding professionals to assist couples in organizing the happiest day of their lives. We have a brand for every kind of celebration—from booking a birthday party, to planning a wedding, to preparing to become a parent, and every moment in between.

Michael Pickrum, courtesy of The Knot Worldwide