Swimming

Gabi Brito Blasts 25.71 50 Free at Age 13, Breaks Dara Torres’ LSC Record From 1982

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By Riley Overend on SwimSwam

2024 NOVA SPEEDO GRAND CHALLENGE

At just 13 years old, Gabi Brito can already hang with some of the best swimmers in the country.

The Beach Cities Swimming standout placed 3rd in the 50-meter freestyle at the Speedo Grand Challenge on Friday in Irvine with a personal-best 25.71. She reached the wall behind recent USC graduate Caroline Famous (25.58) and 27-year-old Olympic champion Simone Manuel (24.69), but ahead of recent USC graduate and Ecuadorian Olympian Anicka Delgado (25.81).

The swim made Brito the fastest 13-year-old American girl in 23 years since Allison Sheppard (25.00 in 2001) and the third-fastest 13-year-old American girl ever behind Sheppard and Jessica Hardy (24.50 in 2000). She is now tied for the 12th in the U.S. girls’ 13-14 national age group (NAG) rankings and just .02 seconds shy of the U.S. Olympic Trials cut (25.69).

Earlier in the day on Friday, Brito broke a legendary Southern California Swimming LSC record belonging to 12-time Olympic medalist Dara Torres from 1982. She dipped under 26 seconds for the first time in prelims with a time of 25.97, erasing Torres’ standard of 26.04 that had stood untouched for 42 years. Before today, Brito’s best time was 26.51 from last month.

Making Brito’s huge drop even more impressive was the fact that she did it on the back half of a 200 IM/50 free double. She clocked a personal-best 2:17.86 in the 200 IM to start her night, lowering her previous-best 2:18.38 from prelims this morning. Her best time before today was 2:21.68 from March.

Brito is entered in the 100 fly and 200 back on Saturday as well as the 100 back and 100 free on Sunday. In March, she posted a 57.32 in the 100 free to become the 13th-fastest 13-year-old American girl in the history of the event.

Gabi’s older sister, Bella Brito, is committed to USC beginning in the 2025-26 school year. Bella is ranked 14th on the Way-Too-Early List of top recruits from the high school class of 2025.

SwimSwam: Gabi Brito Blasts 25.71 50 Free at Age 13, Breaks Dara Torres’ LSC Record From 1982

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