Dara

Torres

Dara Torres had one of the longest, most successful careers of any Olympic swimmer, one which saw her win 12 Olympic medals, four of those being gold medals. In her first Olympics in 1984, Torres captured the gold medal in the 400-meter freestyle relay. She came back for more in 1988 to earn two more medals, silver in the 400 medley relay and bronze in the 400 freestyle relay. After not competing at the Atlanta 1996 Games, Torres came back at age 33 to win four medals at the Sydney 2000 Games. While many assumed her Olympic career was over following her 2000 performance, Torres’ passion for the sport brought her back eight years later, where she would compete at the Beijing 2008 Games, becoming the oldest female swimmer to do so. With her performance at the Olympic Games Beijing 2008, Torres became the first American to swim in five Olympic Games. At age 41, Torres earned silver medals in the 50-meter freestyle, 400 freestyle relay and 400 medley relay, setting American records in all three events. Torres’ 12 Olympic medals currently tie the all-time medal record for a female Olympic swimmer. For two of her five Olympic appearances, Torres was the oldest member of the U.S. Olympic team. Despite being the eldest team member in a sport that often favors younger athletes, Torres still managed to win at least one medal in each of her five Olympic Games appearances.Torres owns 16 U.S. national titles from 1982 to 2007: 10 in the 50 freestyle, five in the 100 freestyle and one in the 200 freestyle. She won three gold medals at the 1987 Pan Pacific Championships, winning the 100 freestyle, 400 freestyle relay and 400 medley relay. She set eight American records throughout her career.