Dara Grace Torres (born April 15, 1967) is an American former competitive

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 ...

, who is a 12-time Olympic medalist and former world record-holder in three events. Torres is the first swimmer to represent the United States in five

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a Multi-s ...

(1984, 1988, 1992, 2000 and 2008), and at age 41, the oldest swimmer to earn a place on the U.S. Olympic team. At the

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

, she competed in the 50-meter freestyle, 4×100-meter medley relay, and 4×100-meter freestyle relay, and won

silver medal A silver medal, in sports and other similar areas involving competition, is a medal made of, or plated with, silver awarded to the second-place finisher, or runner-up, of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, ...

s in all three events. Torres won 12 Olympic medals (four gold, four silver, four bronze), at the time this was the most Olympic women's swimming medals, tied with fellow American Jenny Thompson. Torres won five medals at the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...

, when at age 33, she was the oldest member of the 2000 U.S. Olympic swim team. She won at least one medal in each of the five Olympics in which she competed.

Early years

Torres was born on April 15, 1967, to a family in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, the daughter of Edward Torres, and Marylu Kauder.Mike Downey,
She's propelled by dad's memory
''Los Angeles Times'' (August 16, 2008). Retrieved November 27, 2014. Her father was a real estate developer and casino owner; her mother Marylu was a former American model.Elizabeth Weil,

" ''The New York Times'' magazine (June 29, 2008). Retrieved November 27, 2014. Torres grew up in

Beverly Hills, California Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. A notable and historic suburb of Los Angeles, it is located just southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Beverly Hills ...

, the fifth of six children and the older of two girls. As a seven-year-old, she followed in the footsteps of her older brothers by joining their community

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organisation based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It has nearly 90,000 staff, some 920,000 volunteers and 12,000 branches w ...

for swimming practice; afterward, she signed up for the swimming club in Culver City to train. At 14, she won the national open championship in the 50-yard freestyle by defeating the then-current champion, Jill Sterkel, a college junior.Dan Levin,
She's Set Her Sights On L.A.
" ''Sports Illustrated'' (June 16, 1984). Retrieved November 28, 2014. She attended the Westlake School for Girls (now Harvard-Westlake School), and competed for the Westlake swim team under coach Alison Esses from the seventh grade through her sophomore year in high school.Ally White,
Five-time Olympic swimmer Torres '85 to speak at assembly
" ''The Harvard-Westlake Chronicle'' (March 15, 2013). Retrieved November 27, 2014. She was also a member of the Westlake basketball, gymnastics, and volleyball teams. During her 1983–84 high school junior year, she left home to swim for the Mission Viejo Nadadores in

Mission Viejo, California Mission Viejo ( ; language change, corruption of ; ) is a Commuter town, commuter city in the Saddleback Valley in Orange County, California, United States. Mission Viejo is considered one of the largest Planned community, master-planned commu ...

, while training for her first Olympics under coach Mark Schubert. After the 1984 Olympics, Torres returned to the Westlake School to graduate in 1985.

College swimming career

Torres accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preem ...

in Gainesville, Florida, where she swam for the Florida Gators swimming and diving team in

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

(NCAA) under coach Randy Reese from 1986 to 1989. In her four years as a Gator swimmer, Torres won nine

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central United States, South Central and Southeastern United States. Its 16 members in ...

(SEC) individual championships, including the 50-yard freestyle (1987, 1988, 1989), 100-yard freestyle (1987, 1988, 1989), 200-yard freestyle (1987), and 100-yard butterfly (1988, 1989); she was also a member of 12 of the Gators' SEC championship relay teams.
Florida Swimming & Diving 2013–14 Media Supplement
'', University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 82, 83, 86, 97, 91, 92, 93, 97, 100 (2013). Retrieved November 27, 2014. Torres won three NCAA individual national championships (50-yard freestyle, 100-yard freestyle, 100-yard butterfly) in 1988; and was a member of six of the Gators' NCAA championship relay teams, including the 400-yard freestyle relay in 1986; the 200-yard and 400-yard medley relays, and the 400-yard freestyle relay in 1988; and the 200-yard and 400-yard medley relays in 1989. She was named the SEC Athlete of the Year in 1988, SEC Female Swimmer of the Year in 1987 and 1989, and earned 28

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

swimming honors—the maximum number possible during a college career. Torres also lettered in

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

at Florida, playing the sport in her fifth year after having exhausted her NCAA eligibility in swimming. NCAA names 2014 Silver Anniversary Award winners
" NCAA.com (November 14, 2013). Retrieved November 27, 2014. Torres graduated from the university with a bachelor's degree in telecommunications in 1990 and was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 1999. In November 2013, she was named as a recipient of the 2014 NCAA Silver Anniversary Award, presented annually to six distinguished former student-athletes on the 25th anniversary of their final school year of athletic eligibility.

International swimming career

1984, 1988 and 1992 Olympics

At the

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and commonly known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the ...

in Los Angeles, Torres was a member of the winning U.S. women's 4×100-meter freestyle relay team, swimming in the first-round qualifying heat and earning a gold medal in the event final. Her winning teammates in that final included Nancy Hogshead, Jenna Johnson, and Carrie Steinseifer; Jill Sterkel and Mary Wayte also swam in the event's second-round qualifying heat. For the

1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and officially branded as Seoul 1988 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. 159 nations were represe ...

in Seoul, South Korea, Torres qualified for the U.S. Olympic women's team in one individual event and two relay events. Torres earned a bronze medal for swimming for the third-place U.S. women's team in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay final, together with teammates Mitzi Kremer, Laura Walker, and Mary Wayte. She also earned a silver medal for swimming the freestyle leg of the 4×100-meter medley relay for the second-place U.S. team in the preliminary heats, but not the final. Individually, Torres also placed seventh in the final of the 100-meter freestyle event. Torres qualified for the U.S. Olympic women's team in a single event for the

1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics (, ), officially the Games of the XXV Olympiad (, ) and officially branded as Barcelona '92, were an international multi-sport event held from 25 July to 9 August 1992 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Beginning in 1994 ...

in Barcelona. She swam the second leg of the 4×100-meter freestyle relay for the winning U.S. team that included Nicole Haislett, Angel Martino, and Jenny Thompson, and earned a gold medal for her efforts in the event final and first-round qualifying heat.

First comeback: 2000 Olympics

After seven years out of competitive swimming, Torres began to train for an Olympic comeback in 1999 under the guidance of coach Richard Quick.Scott M. Reid,
Dara Torres battles doping rumors, says she's up for the challenge
" ''The Orange County Register'' (July 20, 2008). Retrieved November 28, 2014. She won five medals at the

in Sydney, but saved her best for two of the major relay events of the U.S. Olympic women's team. She swam the second leg for the winning U.S. women's team in final of the 4×100-meter freestyle relay that included Amy Van Dyken, Courtney Shealy, and Jenny Thompson. Torres won a second gold medal for anchoring the winning U.S. team in the 4×100-meter medley relay, together with teammates B.J. Bedford, Megan Quann, and Jenny Thompson in the final. Individually, Torres also earned bronze medals – her first Olympic medals in individual events – in each of the 50-meter freestyle, the 100-meter butterfly and the 100-meter freestyle, tying teammate and rival Jenny Thompson for third place in the last event. At 33 years old, Torres became the oldest woman to win an Olympic medal in swimming.Jill Lieber Steeg,
Torres has new reason to seek gold
" ''USA Today'' (August 18, 2006). Retrieved December 5, 2014. She was the oldest member of the U.S. Olympic swim team, but won more medals (five) than any other U.S. team member.

Second comeback: 2008 Olympics

On August 1, 2007, at age 40 and just 16 months after giving birth to her first child, Torres won the 100-meter freestyle at the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis. On August 4, she set a new American record in the 50-meter freestyle of 24.53 seconds, breaking her own record of 24.63 seconds set at the 2000 Summer Olympics. She lowered her initial American record by 1.62 seconds. Torres has broken or lowered her own American record in the 50-meter freestyle 10 times, which is the most by any American swimmer in any event. At the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials, Torres returned to the pool and qualified for a spot in her fifth Olympic Games at the age of 41, a first for an American female swimmer.Megan K. Scott,
Torres inspires older women to get in the pool
" ''The Index-Journal'' (August 18, 2008). Retrieved November 27, 2014. She became the oldest U.S. Olympic swimmer in history and the first American swimmer to appear in five Olympic Games. At the trials, she qualified for the event finals in the 50-meter freestyle and broke the American record with a time of 24.38 seconds in the semifinal.Sharyn Alfonsi,
Dara Torres Clinches Her Fifth U.S. Olympic Spot
" ABC News (July 7, 2008). Retrieved November 29, 2014. In the 50-meter finals, she broke that record for the ninth time, setting it at 24.25 seconds and winning the top American women's spot in the event. Torres also qualified in the 100-meter freestyle, but later withdrew from the individual 100-meter freestyle event to focus her efforts on the 50-meter freestyle and 4×100-meter relay events.Sharon Robb,
Parkland Olympian Torres making a big splash
" ''South Florida Sun-Sentinel'' (July 8, 2008). Retrieved November 30, 2014. On July 30, at the U.S. swim team's final training in Singapore, Torres, Amanda Beard, and

Natalie Coughlin Natalie Anne Coughlin Hall (born August 23, 1982) is an American former competition swimmer and twelve-time Olympic medalist. While attending the University of California, Berkeley, she became the first woman ever to swim the World record progre ...

were elected captains of the U.S. Olympic women's swimming team. In order to pre-empt any speculation that she might be taking performance-enhancing drugs, Torres volunteered for a new enhanced drug-testing program by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. "I want to be an open book", she said. "I want people to know that I'm 41, and I'm doing this right. I'm clean."Kelli Anderson,
The Mother of All Comebacks
," ''Sports Illustrated'' (July 14, 2008). Retrieved November 28, 2014. In addition to employing her training team of coach Michael Lohberg, a sprint coach, a chiropractor, and two masseuses, Torres used resistance-stretching trainers, calling it her "secret weapon" for continued success.Karen Crouse,

" ''The New York Times'' (November 18, 2007). Retrieved November 27, 2014. Her $100,000-per-year training costs were partially subsidized by her corporate sponsors

Speedo Speedo International Limited is an Australian-British distributor of Swimsuit, swimwear and swim-related accessories based in Nottingham, England. Founded in Sydney, Australia in 1914 by Alexander MacRae, a Scottish emigrant, the company is n ...

Toyota is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on August 28, 1937. Toyota is the List of manuf ...

, and

Bloomberg L.P. Bloomberg L.P. is an American privately-held financial, software, data, and media company headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It was co-founded by Michael Bloomberg in 1981, with Thomas Secunda, Duncan MacMillan, Charles Ze ...

"I think this performance ranks up there with the biggest performances in sports ever ... It puts Dara in the ranks of Michael Phelps, Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods. What she has done is really not measurable." Michael Lohberg, Torres's coach, discussing her winning three Olympic silver medals at the age of 41. At the

in Beijing, Torres won a silver medal as the anchor swimmer of the second-place U.S. team in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay. It was the fifth time in five tries she earned an Olympic medal in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay. With the American relay team's second-place finish, she became the oldest swimmer to win a medal in Olympic history, surpassing British swimmer William Robinson, who was 38 at the time of the 1908 Summer Olympics. On August 17, 2008, she won the silver medal in the 50-meter freestyle, finishing in a new American record time of 24.07 seconds, one one-hundredth (0.01) of a second behind the winner,

Britta Steffen Britta Steffen (; born 16 November 1983) is a German former competitive swimming (sport), swimmer who specialized in freestyle swimming, freestyle sprint events, winning 2 gold medals at the 2008 Summer Olympics, 2008 Beijing Olympics. Biograp ...

.Christopher Carey,
Torres Edged Out by Hundredth of a Second
" ''The New York Times'' (August 16, 2008). Retrieved November 29, 2014. Her second-place time was a new American record, and 0.18 of a second faster than she swam at the U.S. Olympic Trials. Thirty-five minutes later, she won another silver medal swimming the freestyle anchor leg for the second-place U.S. team in the 4×100-meter medley relay.Kelli Anderson,
One for The Aged
" ''Sports Illustrated'' (August 25, 2008). Retrieved November 28, 2014. Her split on the 4×100 medley relay (52.27 seconds) was the fastest 100-meter freestyle split in relay history. The American record for the women's 100-meter freestyle as an individual event was 53.39 seconds as of August 2008, making Torres's time more than a full second faster. Torres's 12 Olympic medals tied the all-time medal record for a female Olympic swimmer set by fellow American Jenny Thompson in 2004; American Natalie Coughlin subsequently equaled the record in 2012.Associated Press,
Left off finals team, Coughlin still earns 12th medal
" ''San Francisco Chronicle'' (July 29, 2012). Retrieved November 27, 2014.

Aftermath and retirement

At the U.S. National Championships in 2009, Torres won the 50-meter freestyle with the fourth-best time in the world for the year (24.42), and she also placed in the 50-meter butterfly, qualifying her to compete in those events at the 2009 World Championships. This was the first time since 1986 that Torres competed in the World Championships; she placed eighth in the 50-meter freestyle and she did not advance beyond the qualifying heats in the 50-meter butterfly. Following reconstructive surgery of one of her knees, she began training with the goal of competing in the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

. At the 2012 United States Olympic Trials, she placed fourth in the finals of the 50-meter freestyle, 0.32 of a second behind the winner, Jessica Hardy, and 0.09 of a second behind the second qualifier, Kara Lynn Joyce.Amy Shipley,
London 2012: Dara Torres, 45, narrowly misses spot in sixth Olympics at U.S. swimming trials
" ''The Washington Post'' (July 2, 2012). Retrieved November 27, 2014.Associated Press,
Dara Torres misses out on Olympics
" ESPN.com (July 3, 2012). Retrieved November 27, 2014. Only the top-two finishers in each trials event qualified for the 2012 U.S. Olympic team, and as a result, Torres concluded her Olympic career. After the 2012 Trials, Torres announced her retirement from competitive swimming, concluding her career with 12 Olympic medals. Her Olympic career spanned 24 years from 1984 to 2008 and five Olympic Games (1984, 1988, 1992, 2000, 2008). In 2004 she was inducted into the

Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame The Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, in Beverly Hills, California, is a hall of fame dedicated to honoring American Jews, American Jewish athletes, other sports personalities, and teams from Southern California who have distingui ...

Life outside swimming

Torres has worked in television as a reporter and announcer for American networks

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

, TNT, OLN, and

Fox News Channel The Fox News Channel (FNC), commonly known as Fox News, is an American multinational conservative news and political commentary television channel and website based in New York City, U.S. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is ow ...

, and hosted the golf show, ''The Clubhouse'' on the Resort Sports Network.Eli Saslow,
At 40, Torres Is Back In the Fast Lane
" ''The Washington Post'' (August 2, 2007). Retrieved November 27, 2014. She has also worked as a model, and was the first elite swimmer to model swimwear in the ''Sports Illustrated'' Swimsuit Issue, appearing in the 1994 edition. She was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2005. Torres and reproductive

endocrinologist Endocrinology (from ''endocrine'' + '' -ology'') is a branch of biology and medicine dealing with the endocrine system, its diseases, and its specific secretions known as hormones. It is also concerned with the integration of developmental events ...

David Hoffman began dating in 2005, and then they became the parents of Tessa Grace Torres-Hoffman, born in 2006. After the birth of their daughter, Hoffman, a masters swimmer, persuaded her to begin training again. Torres was part of the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire show with Regis Philbin, October 2000, a special edition featuring Olympians, in a multi-night event. She won $125,000 for her charity, Cystic Fibrosis. Torres is a veteran celebrity swimmer for Swim Across America, a charitable organization that raises funds for cancer research in which she has participated for several years.Swim Across America, Olympians
Dara Torres
. Retrieved November 27, 2014. She is the author of two books: ''Age is Just a Number: Achieve Your Dreams at Any Stage in Your Life'' (with Elizabeth Weil), and ''Gold Medal Fitness: A Revolutionary 5-Week Program'' (with Billie Fitzpatrick). Torres is also involved with the American chapter of the foundation of Princess Charlene of Monaco, a charitable organization at which she sits, as Vice-President, on the board of directors. In August 2019, Torres joined CaniBrands, a CBD health and wellness company, as its Chief Wellness and Lifestyle Officer. On June 18, 2024, Torres was named the Head Swimming and Diving Coach at Boston College.

World records

50 Meter Freestyle Women's 4×100-meter freestyle relay Women's 4×100-meter medley relay

References

Bibliography

* Torres, Dara, & Elizabeth Weil, ''Age is Just a Number: Achieve Your Dreams at Any Stage in Your Life'', Broadway Books, New York, New York (2009). . * Torres, Dara, & Billie Fitzpatrick, ''Gold Medal Fitness: A Revolutionary 5-Week Program'', Broadway Books, New York, New York (2010). .

External links

* * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Torres, Dara 1967 births Living people American female butterfly swimmers American female freestyle swimmers American memoirists Converts to Judaism Florida Gators women's swimmers Florida Gators women's volleyball players World record setters in swimming International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame inductees Jewish American swimmers Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1988 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1992 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2000 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2008 Summer Olympics Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in swimming Olympic gold medalists for the United States in swimming Olympic silver medalists for the United States in swimming Sportspeople from Beverly Hills, California Swimmers at the 1984 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 1988 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 1992 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 2000 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 2008 Summer Olympics World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming Swimmers at the 1983 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1983 Pan American Games Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States in swimming Harvard-Westlake School alumni American women memoirists American sportspeople of Cuban descent 21st-century American Jews 21st-century American sportswomen Florida Women's Hall of Fame Inductees Jews from California Southeastern Conference Athlete of the Year winners 20th-century American sportswomen