Gabrielle Rose's story is worthy of a feature film. She represented Brazil in three individual events at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, her first Olympic Games, at the age of 18. At 46, she is still active and competitive.

Time has found her with the same love for swimming and personal improvement, but with a different nationality. At 22, she began competing for the US team and improved her times at Sydney 2000.

A year ago, Gabrielle Rose rekindled her competitive spirit at a masters swimming event, as World Aquatics reported in a touching article on its official website.

At that Masters event, she swam the breaststroke so fast that she qualified for the 2024 US Olympic Trials in the 100m breaststroke, a significant event that would place her among the best swimmers in the world's leading swimming nation.

With hard work and dedication, and the support of her coach Scott Hubbard, she also secured a place in the 200m breaststroke.

Not only did this make Rose, at 46, the oldest of the 949 swimmers at the US Olympic Trials, but she did so in two events.

The US Olympic Trials are the gateway to the Paris Olympics in 2024, and the end of many dreams for those who fail to meet the required standards.

Rose's case is different; her success is already assured by competing in such a prestigious swimming event, almost 30 years after her major sporting achievements.

Born in Memphis, Tennessee, to a Brazilian mother and an American father, Rose's dual citizenship allowed her to represent Brazil at the 1995 Pan American Games and the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.

At the 12th Pan American Games in Mar del Plata, Argentina, she won a silver medal in the 100m butterfly and two bronze medals in relays.

In Atlanta '96, she competed in the 100m freestyle, 100m butterfly and 200m individual medley, setting Brazilian records at the Olympic Games.

Rose's swimming career flourished at Stanford University, according to World Aquatics. She was part of the team that won the 1998 NCAA Championship and earned 22 All-American honours. As an American, she competed in the 1999 Pan American Games and earned a spot on the US Olympic team for the 2000 Games in Sydney. Despite a tough road, she finished seventh in the 200m individual medley final and earned an Olympic diploma.

After Sydney, Rose continued to pursue her Olympic dreams while studying for an MBA at Stanford. She competed professionally and won major awards, including US Swimming's Kiphuth Award and several medals at the 2002 World Championships and Pan Pacific Championships.

In 2004, just weeks before the Olympic trials, Rose contracted mononucleosis (an infectious disease caused by the Epstein-Barr virus, which belongs to the same family as the herpes virus). This setback meant that she missed out on a place on the US team and retired from competitive swimming.

Over time, Rose continued to compete in US Masters Swimming events, where she set numerous records and earned All-American honours. In May 2023, she qualified for the 2024 US Olympic Trials with impressive times in the 100m and 200m breaststroke events.

Rose returned to the Olympic Trials stage this year, cheered on by her 9-year-old daughter Annie. She set personal bests in the 100m (1:08.32) and 200m breaststroke (2:30.13) to reach the semi-finals, proving that age is no barrier to competing at a high level.

Reflecting on her journey, World Aquatics reports that Rose expressed her gratitude for the experience and the opportunity to inspire others. She plans to continue swimming and hopes to cheer on the US team at the Games, which begin later this month.

For Rose, the pool will always be a place of pure magic, a sanctuary of unbreakable resilience and a realm of limitless possibilities.