2024 U.S. OLYMPIC TRIALS
Gabrielle Rose will be the oldest swimmer since at least 2004 — and possibly all of modern history — to compete at the U.S. Olympic Trials when the 46-year-old breaststroke specialist enters the water in Indianapolis next week.
The two-time Olympian is seeded 27th in the 100 breast (1:09.13) and 46th in the 200 breast (2:31.68). Rose qualified last November during a long course time trial representing Alpha Aquatics, where she also coaches. She has been training six days a week in Southern California with coaches Scott Hubbard and Erika Hansen-Stebbins (1988 and 1992 Olympian) while also working with Dave Salo, who guided Rose to a 7th-place finish in the 200 IM back at the 2000 Olympics. She represented the U.S. in 2000 after representing Brazil in 1996.
Before Rose, Dara Torres held the honor of oldest Olympic Trials qualifier in modern history, placing 4th in the 50 free at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials at 45 years old. USA Swimming’s records don’t have any older swimmers, but the organization is reportedly not 100% sure of its archives prior to 2004.
The oldest Olympic Trials qualifier in 2021 was 40-year-old Anthony Ervin, the oldest Olympic champion swimmer in history at age 35.
Rose is the only swimmer from the 1970s who qualified, while five swimmers from the 1980s made the cut. Four-time Olympic champion Matt Grevers is the next-oldest qualifier behind Rose at 39 years old. His 22.50 50 free last month earned him the No. 35 seed in the event, marking his fastest time since December of 2015.
The third-oldest qualifier is 37-year-old Brooke Boak, a former captain at Stanford (where she swam as Brooke Bishop) and mother of three. Her Olympic Trials journey began last year after swimming a 25-yard free in 10 seconds at her kids’ summer league meet. Then in March, she blasted a 25.24 50 free during her first time swimming the event since the 2008 Olympic Trials, seeding her 24th next week. Boak is also seeded 54th in the 100 free with a time of 55.72.
“It’s been really fun having a goal, I think that’s what I struggled with before, but once I committed myself to making trials, it’s been really fun,” said Boak, a Pac-10 champion in the 50 free back in 2006.
The fourth-oldest qualifier is Brandon Fischer, mechanical technologist at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, is aiming for his first Olympic berth at his 5th Olympic Trials. A former University of Wyoming standout (2009-12) who now trains with Tri Valley Aquatics, Fischer takes a cerebral approach to the sport that has earned him the No. 23 seed in the 100 breast (1:01.19) and the No.16 seed in the 200 breast (2:12.52).
Distance specialist Ashley Twichell is seeking a trip to her second Olympics, this time in the pool after placing 7th in the 10km open water race a few years ago in Tokyo. At 32 years old, the TAC Titans veteran was the oldest American swimmer to qualify for their first Olympics in more than a century since 1908. Now 34 and a mother since May of 2022, Twichell is seeded 37th in the 400 free (4:14.46), 19th in the 800 free (8:36.97), and 14th in the 1500 free (16:22.69). She’ll celebrate her 35th birthday on the second day of Olympic Trials next Sunday.
Kaitlyn Johnson took an interesting path to her second Olympic Trials. After retiring from swimming in 2016 following Olympic Trials that summer, the former Division II standout (Clarion University, 2007-11) discovered crossfit training in 2021 and began racing again in 2022. Now 34 years old, Johnson is seeded 41st in the 50 free with a 25.44 from the 2022 U.S. Open. She owns a season best of 25.52 from the Pro Swim Series stop in San Antonio this April.
“I mostly train as a crossfitter and only spend one day a week in the pool, so I feel that is a true testament of the hard work I put in,” Johnson said.
