Garrett Weber-Gale (born August 6, 1985) is an American competition

swimmer Swimming is an individual or team racing sport that requires the use of one's entire body to move through water. The sport takes place in pools or open water (e.g., in a sea or lake). Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic ...

, two-time Olympic gold medalist, and world record-holder in two events.

Early life

Weber-Gale is

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

, and was born in

Stevens Point, Wisconsin Stevens Point is the county seat of Portage County, Wisconsin, United States. The city was incorporated in 1858. Its 2020 population of 25,666 makes it the largest city in the county. Stevens Point forms the core of the United States Census Bur ...

. He graduated from

Nicolet High School Nicolet High School is a public secondary school located in Glendale, Wisconsin. It is the only school in the Nicolet Unified School District, which serves Glendale, Fox Point, Bayside, and River Hills. Primary schooling is administered by thr ...

in Glendale, Wisconsin in 2003. He then competed for the

Texas Longhorns swimming and diving The Texas Longhorns swimming and diving program represents The University of Texas at Austin in NCAA Division I intercollegiate men's and women's swimming and diving competition. The Longhorns currently compete in the Big 12 Conference. The fir ...

team of the

University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...

from 2003 to 2007. In 2006, he was the

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of College athletics, intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major ...

champion in the 100-yard freestyle.

Swimming career

Weber-Gale won the 100 and 50-meter freestyles at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials in 47.92 and 21.47 seconds respectively. His time of 21.47 in the 50-meter was an American record. By clocking a time of 47.78 in the prelims of the 100 freestyle at the Trials, he became the first American to break 48 seconds in that event. At the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...

, Weber-Gale was as a member of the 4 × 100 m freestyle relay team in a final that has been heralded as the best relay in the history of swimming. He was the second leg of that relay and had a split of 47.02 as the US won the gold ahead of pre-race favorite France. Weber-Gale also earned a gold medal for his contribution in the heats of the 4 × 100 m medley relay. Weber-Gale also competed in both the 50 m and

100 m freestyle The 100 metre freestyle is often considered to be the highlight (Blue Ribbon event) of the sport of swimming, like 100 metres in the sport of Athletics. The first swimmer to break the one-minute barrier (long course) was Johnny Weissmuller, in 1 ...

events but did not advance past the semifinals of either one. At the 2009 USA Nationals and World Championships trials, Weber-Gale placed third in the 100 m freestyle in 48.19. He also tied for second with

Cullen Jones Cullen Andrew Jones (born February 29, 1984) is an American former competition swimmer and Olympic gold medalist who specializes in Freestyle swimming, freestyle sprint events. As part of the American team, he holds the List of world records in ...

in the 50m freestyle in 21.55, which required a swim-off to decide who would get to compete in the event at the

2009 World Aquatics Championships The 2009 World Aquatics Championships ( it, Campionati mondiali di nuoto 2009) or the XIII FINA World Championships were held in Rome, Italy from 18 July to 2 August 2009. The 2009 Championships featured competition in all 5 aquatics disciplines ...

in Rome. Jones won the swim-off in 21.41, which broke Weber-Gale's American record in the event. At the 2009 World Championships, Weber-Gale swam the lead-off leg of the 4 × 100 m freestyle preliminaries in 48.30. He earned a gold medal in the event when the US placed first in the final. In 2013, Weber-Gale was chosen to be the flag bearer for Team USA at the opening ceremonies of the 19th (2013) Maccabiah Games. At the games he won two gold medals; one in 100 m freestyle at 48.99 seconds and a second one in the 50 m freestyle at 0:22:12 (MR). Weber-Gale also won silver in the 4 × 200 m freestyle relay.

Miscellaneous

Weber-Gale began his competitive career as a

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...

age-group swimmer at the Walter Schroeder Aquatic Center in Brown Deer, Wisconsin. He refined his stroke training in Austin, Texas, swimming with Circle C (now Longhorn Aquatics). In 2003, he set a national public high school record while at

in the freestyle with a time of 43.49. He is a four-time Wisconsin State Champion, twice in the backstroke and once in the freestyle. Weber-Gale also was a multiple-time Olin-Sang-Ruby Union Institute (a URJ summer camp) triathlon champion. On November 17, 2008, Weber-Gale won a Golden Goggles award with Beijing relay teammates

Michael Phelps Michael Fred Phelps II (born June 30, 1985) is an American former competitive swimmer. He is the most successful and most decorated Olympian of all time with a total of 28 medals. Phelps also holds the all-time records for Olympic gold med ...

and

Jason Lezak Jason Edward Lezak (born November 12, 1975) is an American former competitive swimmer and swimming executive. As a swimmer, Lezak specialized in the 50-meter and 100-meter freestyle races. His pro career lasted for nearly fifteen years, spannin ...

. On July 19, 2009, Weber-Gale (along with Phelps, Jones and Lezak) received an ESPY Award for Best Moment for their 4 × 100 m freestyle relay performance at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Weber-Gale married in Austin, Texas, in the fall of 2013.

Hall of Fame

Weber-Gale was elected to the

International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame The International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame ( he, יד לאיש הספורט היהודי, translit=Yad Le'ish HaSport HaYehudi) was opened July 7, 1981 in Netanya, Israel. It honors Jewish athletes and their accomplishments from anywhere around ...

's induction class of 2015.

Best swimming times

Long Course Meters: *50 freestyle: 21.47 *100 freestyle: 47.78 (First American to break 48 seconds) *100 freestyle relay split: 47.02 *200 freestyle: 1:49.06 *100 backstroke: 56.48 Short Course Meters: *50 freestyle: 21.31 *100 freestyle: 46.29 Short Course Yards: *50 freestyle: 19.16 *100 freestyle: 41.94 *200 freestyle: 1:33.53 *100 backstroke: 47.33

References

External links

* * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Weber-Gale, Garrett 1985 births Living people American male freestyle swimmers Jewish American sportspeople Jewish swimmers Maccabiah Games medalists in swimming Maccabiah Games gold medalists for the United States Medalists at the 2008 Summer Olympics Medalists at the FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) Olympic gold medalists for the United States in swimming People from Stevens Point, Wisconsin Swimmers at the 2008 Summer Olympics Weber-Gale, Garrett World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming World record holders in swimming Competitors at the 2013 Maccabiah Games 21st-century American Jews