{"id":613285,"date":"2025-06-04T19:46:28","date_gmt":"2025-06-05T02:46:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=613285"},"modified":"2025-06-04T19:46:28","modified_gmt":"2025-06-05T02:46:28","slug":"u-s-nationals-gabriel-jett-finally-lands-on-national-team-after-accidental-discovery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/u-s-nationals-gabriel-jett-finally-lands-on-national-team-after-accidental-discovery\/","title":{"rendered":"U.S. Nationals: Gabriel Jett Finally Lands on National Team After Accidental Discovery"},"content":{"rendered":"

U.S. Nationals: Gabriel Jett Finally Lands on National Team After Accidental Discovery<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Year after year, Gabriel Jett has been grounded in attempts to make the U.S. National Team.<\/p>\n

But at age 24, Jett is finally taking off, and headed to the World Championships in Singapore.<\/p>\n

Jett, a recent Cal graduate, finished second in the 200 freestyle to make his first team.<\/p>\n

“I feel like I have had a swim like that coming for a long time,” Jett said. “The energy of the meet and being next to Luke (Hobson) really helped me. It is pretty surreal. I can’t even fathom 1:44 right now. It was so much fun to go out there and race. It means a lot. It is a pretty basic word, but ‘culmination’ comes to mind.”<\/p>\n

He finished in 1:44.70 behind Hobson, who broke the U.S. Open and meet record with a swim of 1:43.73.<\/p>\n

It all started by accident.<\/p>\n

“I just realized I need to warm up closer to my event and it was an accident. I was doing it all wrong, I guess,” Jett said. “Ever since I was in high school, I would do a nice long warmup, then get out about 30-45 minutes before the race. In the morning, I gave myself 10 minutes because I was running behind. Then it was the fastest 200 fly I have done in four years. Then I did what I used to do in the 200 fly final and I went slower. So, my coach Noah (Yanchulis)<\/strong> told me to do the same thing as yesterday. I did it both times and I was faster.<\/p>\n

“It is a big puzzle and a lot of pieces fell into place the past two months, mentally and emotionally. I have physically been able to go a really fast 200 free since high school.”<\/p>\n

The warm-up and other pieces that came together have been something he has experienced in the two months since the NCAA Championships.<\/p>\n

“My short-course freestyle has been my thing, but the long course hasn’t caught up. I have done a lot of work over the past year to get my long course to a spot where I am confident in swimming it. Cal has been really good to me. The past four years have been the best years of my life,” he said. This year, I shifted toward swimming for myself more now. Swimming as a pro is something I always thought I would do, but I didn’t really grasp the breadth of it, which is really swimming selfishly and figuring out what you can do for yourself. I did backstroke at NCAAs because we needed the points. I didn’t do my best event because that is what the team needed. Post-NCAAs, I have just been talking with my coaches about what would be the best shot at getting on the team, and I only entered the 200 free and 200 fly.<\/p>\n

“It paid off. I am proud of myself. It has been a long time coming getting on this A team. I have had a lot of FOMO (fear of missing out) the past few years with all my friends making national teams. I am really excited to join them this summer.<\/p>\n

“I have always felt like I had a position on the U.S. relay, but the swim didn’t come to fruition. I am excited to swim for the U.S.”<\/p>\n