37-Year-Old Brooke Boak Makes Olympic Trials Cut in First 50 Free Since 2008

2024 PRO SWIM SERIES – WESTMONT

Swimming at the 2024 Westmont Pro Swim Series, 37-Year-Old Brooke Boak clocked a 25.24 50m freestyle, which was significant for many reasons.

This was the first 50 meter freestyle Boak had swam since the 2008 Olympic Trials, having been entered in the meet with a yards time (22.38). Her prelims time undercuts the Olympic Trials cut by over .4 (25.69), punching her ticket to Indianapolis in June. To boot, Boak qualified as the 5th fastest performer, slotting her into the A-Final for tonight.

She swam that 50 free at a meet in January hosted at Cal.

You may remember Brooke as Brooke Bishop, her maiden name and the one under which she swam when she finished 6th at the 2008 US Olympic Trials in the 50 free, swimming 25.16.

In 2007, she was 5th at NCAAs in the 50 free (22.17) and 6th in the 100 back (53.67). She was also an NCSA Junior National Champion in 2004 in the 50 free.

Boak is now the mother of three young children with her husband Stephen. She says she finally has time to train again and wanted to set a goal, so in September she decided to go after Trials (after swimming a 10-second 25 yard free at her kids’ summer league meet).

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Seth
8 months ago

It is a remarkable achievement to qualify of trials at 37 and have kids! Godspeed!

BillPark
8 months ago

Awesome just continue to have fun n getterdone happy international woman’s day

dscott
8 months ago

So cool!

Andy
8 months ago

Many eye openers in this! One of which is that a 53.6 got 6th at NCAAs in 2007. Geez how impressive is that improvement curve for the women! Stadden was 6th in 2023 with a 51.0

Drswammer
8 months ago

Love to see it! I hit my best time in the 50 several years post college and being in the real world. Its so much more gratifying. Glad to see others continuing or finding new enjoyment from the sport

historyteacher
8 months ago

Congratulations! Excellent job. Dara Torres proved a swimmer can still achieve top times after 35. All the best to Brooke!

Dan
8 months ago

Fantastic swim, just of her time from 2008 OT, what is her PB, how close is she to that?

Masters Swammer
Reply to  Coleman Hodges
8 months ago

That’s wild.

I can’t really even imagine this. I felt like I was training about as much as I could (6-7 hours of Masters practices per week) in my early 30s, and I entered a meet… where I came close to my time from when I was 12 years old in the 500 free (and was about 40 seconds off my PB).

Ga swimmer
8 months ago

🤔🤨

About Coleman Hodges

Coleman Hodges

Coleman started his journey in the water at age 1, and although he actually has no memory of that, something must have stuck. A Missouri native, he joined the Columbia Swim Club at age 9, where he is still remembered for his stylish dragon swim trunks. After giving up on …

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