Gabrielle Rose made history at nationals. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
(Sarah Stier via Getty Images)
Gabrielle Rose might be 47 years old, but she’s still one of the best breaststroke swimmers in the country.
Nearly three decades after qualifying for her first Olympics, Rose finished seventh in the finals of the 100-meter breaststroke at the U.S. Swimming National Championships on Friday, falling short of qualifying for the world championships but still defying her age.
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Rose posted a time of 1:08.54, close to her personal best of 1:08.32 and roughly three seconds behind champion Kate Douglass. Three-time Olympic gold medallist Lilly King, who plans to retire after this season, finished second.
The one swimmer Rose finished ahead of in the final was the youngest person in the pool, Elle Scott. She was born in 2007.
To make the final, Rose had to make the top 8 of a field of 60 swimmers, with every competitor at least 19 years younger than her. Every single one of those 59 other swimmers was born after Rose made her first Olympics in 1996, when she competed in the 100-meter butterfly, 200-meter individual medley and 100-meter freestyle for Team Brazil.
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The Rio de Janeiro native and Stanford graduate switched to representing the U.S. in 1999.
After Rose, the oldest swimmer was King at 28 years old. Per SwimSwam, Rose was the oldest swimmer to ever qualify for a championship final at a U.S. Olympic or Worlds Trial meet.
Following her two Olympic berths in 1996 and 2000, Rose retired from competitive swimming in 2004 at age 26 after being struck with mononucleosis shortly before the Olympic trials. Per World Aquatics, her passion for the sport was reignited when she focused on fulfilling her late father’s wish of preserving an Olympic-sized pool in her hometown.
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Rose made a surprise return to elite competition in 2022 and reached the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials, where she reached the semifinals 100-meter and 200-meter breaststroke. Despite being in her mid-40s, she managed to make it a step further one year later.
She also competed in the 50-meter breaststroke, placing 15th, and the 200-meter breaststroke, placing 19th.
