2025 U.S. NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Tuesday, June 3 – Saturday, June 7, 2025
- Indianapolis, Indiana
- Indiana University Natatorium
- LCM (50 meters)
- World Championship Selection Criteria
- SwimSwam Preview Index
- Meet Central
- Psych Sheets (Updated 6/2)
- Live Results
- How To Watch (USA Swimming Network)
- Prelims Live Recap: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4
- Finals Live Recap: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4
At 47 years old, two-time world champion Gabby Rose continues to defy age, convention, and every expectation placed upon elite swimmers.
On Friday morning at the 2025 U.S. National Championships, Rose clocked a time of 1:08.54 in the women’s 100 breaststroke prelims, good enough for 7th overall, and secured a spot in tonight’s ‘A’ final. With that performance, she becomes the oldest swimmer ever to qualify for a championship final at a U.S. Olympic or World Trials meet, rewriting history in a sport where youth so often dominates the headlines.
Before Rose, four-time Olympic champion Dara Torres held the distinction as the oldest ‘A’ final qualifier in modern history, placing 4th in the 50 freestyle at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials at age 45.
Disclaimer: USA Swimming’s records don’t have any older swimmers, but the organization is reportedly not 100% sure of its archives prior to 2004. Based on SwimSwam’s in depth research, we have not been able to find any older finalists.
NBC Sports’ Nick Zaccardi pointed out on X that none of the other swimmers in tonight’s championship final, including world record holder and 28-year-old Lilly King, were alive when Rose made her Olympic debut in 1996.
Gabrielle Rose, 47, qualified for tonight’s 100m breaststroke final at U.S. Championships (@peacock). Nobody else in the field was alive when Rose made her Olympic debut. Here she is qualifying for 2000 Olympics at the same pool where she swims tonight: pic.twitter.com/5LGdzeR6Aq
— Nick Zaccardi (@nzaccardi) June 6, 2025
A Rio de Janeiro native and Stanford graduate, Rose initially retired from competitive swimming in 2004 at age 26 after falling ill with mononucleosis during her buildup to that year’s U.S. Olympic Trials. In a turn of events, she made an unexpected return to the sport in July 2022. What began as a passion project quickly evolved into a historic second act, as she reemerged as a top-tier breaststroker in her mid-40s, ultimately reaching the semifinals at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials, where she placed 10th in the 100 breast and 16th in the 200 breast, and now earning an ‘A’ final appearance at these U.S. Nationals.
She competed for Brazil at the 1996 Olympics and for the United States at the 2000 Games, making her one of the rare swimmers to represent two different countries on the sport’s biggest stage. She has won a total of nine medals on the international scene, two golds, five silvers, and two bronzes.
Rose entered this week’s competition seeded 9th in the event with her personal best of 1:08.32. While this morning’s effort was the clear highlight of her meet thus far, she also posted strong performances in her other events this week. She finished 15th overall in the 50 breast with a time of 31.68 in finals, having gone slightly faster in prelims with a 31.53. Earlier in the meet, she placed 19th in the 200 breast, stopping the clock at 2:30.69, just over half a second off her lifetime best of 2:30.13, set during prelims at last summer’s Trials.
Rose’s International Medal Record:
| International Medal Record | ||
| Representing Team USA | ||
| World Championships (Long Course) | ||
| Gold | 2003 Barcelona | 4×100 m freestyle |
| Gold | 2003 Barcelona | 4×200 m freestyle |
| World Championships (Short Course) | ||
| Silver | 2002 Moscow | 100 m medley |
| Silver | 2002 Moscow | 200 m medley |
| Silver | 2002 Moscow |
4×200 m freestyle
|
| Pan Pacific Championships (Long Course) | ||
| Silver | 2002 Yokohama | 200 m medley |
| Representing Team Brazil | ||
| Pan American Games (Long Course) | ||
| Silver | 1995 Mar del Plata | 100 m butterfly |
| Bronze | 1995 Mar del Plata | 4×100 m freestyle |
| Bronze | 1995 Mar del Plata | 4×100 m medley |
Absolutely amazing
I wonder if she is also breaking Masters records with her USA times?
I would love to see her at the Olympic trials 2028!
A couple more years and she’ll be old enough for Cal to recruit
47 years old Gabrielle Rose in US world championships trials final . She born 1.november 1977. She swam morning 100m breaststroke 1.08,54 and also evening 1.08,54. Just like robot.. Olympian 1996 and 2000.
She’s the Tom Brady of swimming
If she enrolls in like a 1 credit P.E. class at the local college, can she represent USA at the World University Games?
She could be eligible for freshman year at Cal I bet
I’m 47 and i can’t fathom being able to train to compete in multiple events. It’s not the speed and strength at our age, it’s the lack of ability to recover from the workouts that require us to make progress like we used to. Im still in good shape for my age, but nothing like this. I also never had the talent that she had, so I can’t speak to the elite level added in.
Not saying she will make it (pretty unlikely actually) but what other teams could she make if she moves up to let’s say top 4
Pan Pacs, or Pan Am’s?