U.S. Nationals: Will Gallant Breaks 15:00 For First Time to Win 1500 Freestyle Title (VIDEO)

Will Gallant -- Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

U.S. Nationals: Will Gallant Breaks 15:00 For First Time to Win 1500 Freestyle Title

With Olympic champion Bobby Finke opting out of the 1500 freestyle at U.S. Nationals, no one racing in the event had ever broken 15:00. There was a void for a swimmer to step into, and NC State’s Will Gallant stepped up and performed. Gallant was about two seconds behind David Johnston at the 1000-meter mark, but then he split under 30 on eight consecutive laps. He pulled ahead of Johnston at the 1200 split, and he began hunting the 15-minute barrier.

Gallant came into the wall in 14:57.08, taking almost 14 seconds off his entry time (15:11.79). His time made him the 11th-fastest swimmer in the world for 2022 and the third-fastest American this year behind only Finke and Charlie Clark. Gallant continued what has been an impressive stretch of results in his first full year at NC State after transferring from Indiana. He was a finalist in the 800 and 1500 free at last year’s Olympic Trials, and he won the 1650-yard free at the ACC Championships this year before placing third at the NCAA Championships.

“The plan was to stay long and relaxed the first 1000 and then bring in my legs the last 500. That’s what I train to do, and I was able to pull it off really well,” Gallant said. “15:00 is a big barrier, and it’s something I’ve really wanted to do for a while now. The past year or so, I feel like I’ve never had the race I’ve been looking for in the 1500, but today I was able to execute.”

Johnston placed second in 15:02.37, beating his previous best time (15:08.90) by 6.5 seconds. Australia’s Alec Mander finished third in 15:19.35, just edging out the top time from the afternoon heats, Daniel Matheson’s 15:19.99.

After the race, Gallant credited his training setup at NC State as the key in his quick rise to become one of the country’s top milers.

“It’s a very good group,” he said. “Ross Dant, James Plage and Owen Lloyd are with me every day. It gets competitive in practice, but we’re always there battling it out. Mark (Bernardino) and Dan (Kalupski) write some good practices to prepare you for the 1500, the longest event in the pool. I’ve really had a good time, and it’s a great fit for me. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”

And the 1500 free, Gallant explained, is the perfect event for him, and the conditions were perfect for a Tuesday evening breakthrough. “I’m a pretty relaxed guy, so the shorter races, the intensity is too much for me,” he said. “I can’t get up and go that quickly. The 1500, I can really relax and build into it and get into a grove. That suits me.”

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