She competes for the Los Angeles Current, where four-time Olympic gold medalist Lenny Krayzelburg serves as the team’s General Manager. “It’s an honor to work with Lenny Krayzelburg. He’s a big deal in the swimming world, and most importantly, he’s a great person. Lenny is very, very kind,” she said.
In the U.S. Derby ISL match, in College Park, Maryland, Gastaldello earned the most points out of all the female swimmers for the Los Angeles Current, and in the MVP standings, with 51.5 points, she ranked second right behind Caeleb Dressel. “I was very surprised. That felt pretty good because I did it for the team. It’s all about the team,” she said. “It is definitely the best experience that I’ve ever had in swimming so far.”
She revealed that in the women’s 50 meter butterfly, she was able to break the French record and the U.S. Open Records, with her time of 24.81 seconds. “I don’t keep track of records. The people tell me about them, most of the time my mom, who keeps track of everything,” she said with a sweet laugh.
Gastaldello had nothing but the kindest remarks about her Los Angeles Current fellow athletes, which include such Olympic swimmers as Nathan Adrian, Ryan Murphy, and Michael Chadwick, among others. “I really loved getting to know Nathan Adrian. He is super fun to be around,” she said. “I also got to talk a long time with Michael Chadwick and I got to know all of the great people on the team. They taught me a lot, and just from these three meets, I am a better person and I am a much better athlete as well and I am thankful for that.”
“We created a great team culture in such a short amount of time and I am very proud of that. The Los Angeles Current made me feel integrated,” she said. “They really made me feel like I belong there. It is like a family atmosphere. They are really happy for you when you do great.”
For the upcoming ISL grand finale in Las Vegas, she noted that she would like to improve on “small details.” “I also want to improve my confidence,” she said.
Prior to the ISL grand finale in Las Vegas this December, she will be competing in the European Championships, and she will also be competing in the French Championships. “I am only doing two days out of the four days, and then, I fly back to the United States to compete in the ISL finale in Las Vegas,” she said.
Gastaldello hopes that with the ISL, swimming will get the attention and respect that it rightfully deserves, where it will not only be popular every four years at the Summer Olympic Games. “This is such a good opportunity to show people what we are doing and what we are all about. It’s the first step in the right direction,” she said.
“This sport is very hard. It’s not any easier than doing soccer or football, and I don’t think people understand that it’s not easy for us to perform year-round,” she said. “I don’t think people know what swimming is really about. I am very passionate about the sport of swimming since it’s difficult. You need to constantly adjust your technique and your stroke.”
“I really want to get to know more about swimming since we’re becoming a big family,” she added. “I have friends from all over the world, from Michael Andrew (I really appreciate him and he’s a very great person) to Australian athletes and many other swimmers from around the world. It’s amazing since, at the end of the day, we all love the sport of swimming. We just want to compete and have fun.”
On being a swimmer in the digital age, she said, “As far as I’m concerned, I am not very popular on social media. Hopefully, one day, I will get more people following me since I have a big story and I want to help people. I think technology is amazing.”
She noted that although swimming is a sport, there is life around it. “If you are happy, you will swim fast. You need to do what you need to do to be happy. That’s the main thing,” she said.
Gastaldello defined the word success as “fulfilling one’s goals.” “Achieving the goals that you are aiming for is how I would define success,” she said.
To learn more about acclaimed French swimmer Beryl Gastaldello, follow her on Instagram and her official website.