The Backstroke Queen: The Story of Gabi Fa'amausili

Taylor Vismor
Dec 4, 2020
3 min read

Updated: Apr 27, 2021

Overcoming the fear of the water after a drowning accident, this swimmer has held the New Zealand 50m backstroke record for 7 years. Her name is Gabi Fa’amausili.

Gabi started her swimming career at 9 years old. As she competed, it was evident that she had talent. But, for Gabi,

swimming was not as much a sport as it was a game with an incentive in place, “It was just like, ‘okay this is the time I have to do’, and if I do it, my mom would give me incentives she would be like, ‘I’ll give you McDonalds if you break this record.’ So, it was like a game for me and it worked.” And that it did.

As a young girl, Fa’amausili found herself on the podium often. At 10 years old, she broke the 50m backstroke record, previously held by a 15-year-old. In 2013, she was named the World Junior 50m backstroke champion and brought home the bronze medal for the 50m backstroke in the 2014 Youth Olympics. To this day, Fa’amausili holds the New Zealand national record in 50m backstroke with a time of 27.04. Due to her outstanding performances, Gabi Fa’amausili has been given the title as, “the backstroke queen”.

Gabi decided to compete at the collegiate level and signed with The University of Georgia in 2017. Before leaving New Zealand, she tore her ACL. “My coach back home thought it would be fun to play basketball with the team” as she played, Gabi felt pain in her knee. Doctors in New Zealand told Fa’amausili that it was just a sprain. When she arrived at the University, her knee was still bothering her. “I came to UGA and I was like ‘somethings not right my knee is still bothering me.’ I got a cat scan, and they were like you need surgery.” Luckily, Fa’amausili was allowed to wait on surgery and compete for her team.

In her first season, Fa’amausili was named 2nd team All SEC, SEC All-Freshman and 2nd team CSCAA All-American. At the 2017-2018 SEC Championship, Fa’amausili found herself on the podium once again, earning a bronze medal for 400 freestyle. Later, Fa’amausili was invited to compete in the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. Due to her injury, she decided to drop out of the games. “I had to decide when a good time [was] for me to get the surgery. I had never been to a commonwealth games and I knew I was missing out on a big competition, but I had just gotten to Georgia and it was better for me to take care of my health.”

After missing 5 months of practice for recovery, Gabi bounced back her junior year. Fa’amausili qualified for the 50m freestyle in the NCAA National Championship and ranked 21st overall. She was named 2nd team All-SEC and collected three citations from the CSCAA.

Fa’amausili was hoping to represent New Zealand in the 2020 Summer Olympic games, but due to COVID-19, she would not be given the chance to compete. “Personally, I was relieved that they were postponed although I felt like I was in a good spot.” Her teammate Danielle Della Torre will be competing for a spot on the American Olympic Team. When asked what it would be like to compete against Gabi if both were to make their teams Della Torre said, “Gabi has more of a chance to make the Olympic Team than I do but I think either way I’ll be her biggest supporter!”

Heading into her final season, Fa’amausili and the rest of the UGA Women’s Swimming and Diving team are gearing up for what could be an insatiable season. The UGA Women’s Swimming and Diving has been named number one in the nation. The last time they were number one, UGA won the National Championship. “It’s an exciting time for everyone…were hyped about it. But we just have to keep our feet on the ground and keep grinding.” Sarah Detwiler, a journalism student interested in sports said, “This year’s team is really exciting to watch. I’m interested to see how far they’ll go.”

There is more to Gabi Fa’amausili beyond the pool. Even though she misses New Zealand’s seafood her favorite cheat meal in the States is Burger King’s 10 nuggets. Gabi is set to graduate from UGA in May with a degree in Communications. As for the future, Fa’amausili is hoping to land a spot on New Zealand’s Olympic team, her qualification period is January to April of 2021.