Dara Torres anchors U.S. silver swim effort

BEIJING--I guess Dara Torres, whose first Olympics was in 1984 in Los Angeles, wasn't content merely to earn a berth on the U.S. swimming team.

She anchored the U.S. 400-meter freestyle relay team to second place behind the Netherlands on Sunday, becoming at 41 the oldest Olympic swimming medalist in history. She is 15 years older than the second-oldest member of the team, Natalie Coughlin, and about 18 years older than the other two, Lacey Nymeyer and Kara Lynn Joyce.

And Torres is more than a quarter of a century older than Cate Campbell, who led off for Australia.

"It's just bizarre,'' Torres said. "I think I might be older than her parents.''

But Torres didn't think it was bizarre that she performed so well in holding off third-place Australia and China for the silver medal. The Netherlands won in an Olympic record time of 3:33.76. The United States set a national record at 3:34.33.

"The water doesn't know what age you are,'' she said.

--Randy Harvey

Photo: Dara Torres after the 400-meter freestyle relay. Credit: Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press

Comments

[Elise]

Way to go Dara! How inspiring for all of us over-forty folks.

[interesting ...]

WOOOHOOOO! Good for her. I had to look all over this morning to find whether she made it. But you know what? Just being 40-ish and being in the Olympics is enough. We need to change that mindset of what 40 is for women in this day and - er - age.

Why isn't this headline news? Why am I only seeing Phelps everywhere? Is the only thing really important about this story is that she is 41 years old? I think the time difference between the US and Netherlands is fascinating ... point five something seconds? Or is that like an hour at this level of swimming?

[ken]

Awesome Job!!!!!!!!!!! Performance enhancing my foot, this is probably the first time she has swam with the new "Suit" plus I doubt she would be willing to subject herself to the negative publicity fur us 40+ crowd she is a hero

Ken

[Fitness Insights by Jamie Atlas]

Dara does a great job as an ambassador for the sport. She will wear the suit although right now she is taking a hiatus to promote her book. Of course, that means she is only working out, swimming and stretching three times a day!

I have written more about her training and stretching methods in my blog (linked to my name above) if anyone is interested.

I am looking forward to seeing how many other swimmers decide to try and take the same route?! Can there be only one? Is there still a chance for a 36 year old swimming hasbeen like myself?

[alexandra]

dont you think that she should make a tape for swimmers that wont to be in the same mind set as her that would be so cool like a fungshway thingy