Gabby Rose, Age 47, Breaks 1 Minute in the 100 Yard Breaststroke for the First Time

2024 TST Southern Pccific Closed Invite

• November 23-25, 2024
• Lake Forest, California
• Short Course Yards (25 yards), Prelims/Finals
• Full Meet Results

47-year old Gabby Rose, who captured the hearts and imaginations of Masters swimmers everywhere over the summer, broke 1 minute in the 100 yard breaststroke for the first time in her college career a month ago swimming 59.88 at the TST Southern Pacific Invite.

That annihilated her own USMS National Record of 1:01.63 done in April 2023, and was in fact faster than the USMS Records in the 40-44 and 35-39 age groups as well.

Rose, a Brazilian American, was a two-time Olympian: at the 1996 Games representing Brazil and at the 2000 Games representing the United States.

She was a butterflier, freestyler, and IM’er in her teens and 20s, winning three silver medals at the 2002 World Short Course Championships, another at the 2002 Pan Pacific Championships, and two relay golds at the 2003 long course World Championships.

Rose says that the fastest 100 yard breaststroke time she could find for herself in college is 1:03.79 – almost four seconds slower than what she’s going 25 years later.

After 20 years away from the elite version of the sport, she re-emerged in 2022 at a meet in Irvine in late 2022 with a long course 1:12.93 in the 100 breaststroke. She has since risen to be a cult hero of sorts, finishing 10th in the 100 breaststroke semifinals (1:08.32) and 16th in the 200 breaststroke semifinals (2:30.44) at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials.

After Trials, she went on to place first in prelims of the 100 breaststroke at the US National Championships before scratching and scooting to Sacramento to race at the Futures Championships, where she won the 100 breaststroke and the 200 breaststroke.

Rose was already knocking against the door of the one-minute barrier when she won the 100 yard breaststroke in 1:00.10 at the Kevin Perry meet in early November, a meet where Southern California high school swimmers often achieve fast times.

She also swam 2:12.03 in the 200 yard breaststroke and 55.60 in the 100 yard fly at the Southern Pacific Invite.

While Masters Swimming doesn’t have a drug-testing program, Rose’s status as an open-age elite means that she was tested by USADA in both 2023 and 2024.

Other Southern Pacific Invite Highlights

• Yeziel Morales, a Puerto Rican international who trains with the Mission Viejo Nadadores, swam 1:44.85 in the 200 yard back as his final tuneup before the Short Course World Championships. While he was off his best times in his best events the backstrokes in Budapest, he did break the Puerto Rican Record in the 200 fly in 1:55.40 for 23rd place.
• 14-year-old Eli Siniak dropped more than nine seconds in the 200 breaststroke to touch in 2:05.08. That leaves him just outside of the top 100 all-time in the age group, but is a big improvement in his versatility a week after moving into the top-10 in the 100 breaststroke two weeks earlier at Kevin Perry.
• 15-year-old Lucas Cha from Irvine Novaquatics hit new personal bests and Futures cuts in the 100 fly (49.74) and 200 fly (1:52.26).
• The top-finishing under-18 in the 100 breaststroke was Bianca Nwaizu, a high school sophomore, in 1:01.87. She added a best time later in the meet in the 100 fly in 56.44.