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This Mom's Going to the Olympics

At 41, Dara Torres wants to be the world's oldest swimming champion.

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We just want to send a shout-out to Dara Torres, the 41-year-old mother of 2-year-old Tessa Grace. She not only qualified for the Olympics swim team this week...she set the all-time American record for the 50-meter freestyle. She carried her daughter in her arms on a victory walk around the pool on Friday night.

Torres will be the first American swimmer to compete in five Olympics (despite sitting out 1996 and 2004). She'll also be oldest female swimmer in the history of the Olympic games.

"It's sort of bittersweet for me because I've made my fifth Olympic team, but I'm going to be away from my daughter for a month and that's really hard emotionally," Torres told CNN.

Although she officially retired when she was 33, the New York Times reported that Torres started swimming again when she was pregnant, because, she says, she had terrible morning sickness and she'd "rather throw up in the pool gutter than next to the StairMaster." Three and a half months postpartum, Torres raced at the Masters World Championships. Fifteen minutes after nursing Tessa in the bathroom, she swam the first leg of the 50-meter freestyle relay in 25.98 seconds--fast enough to qualify for the Olympic trials. And now she's earned a spot on the team.

Rock on, mama!



6 comments so far

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April on July 1, 2008 12:09 PM wrote:

Ohmigod, her body does not even look human. she looks amazing. She both inspires me and depresses me - inspires because well if a mom can look like that, maybe there’s hope for me yet - and depresses, because I look nothing like that and — let’s face it — probably never will.

 
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Anonymous on July 1, 2008 2:05 PM wrote:

I am inpressed
Cheryl Mason

 
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foxymama on July 1, 2008 2:50 PM wrote:

A little of both - very inspirational, but she makes me sick she’s so HOT!

 
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SURI on July 2, 2008 12:05 PM wrote:

Commitment, passion and hard work, WOW! I wish I had some of that.

 
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Anonymous on July 3, 2008 4:08 PM wrote:

wow. this impresses and depresses me. i wish my stomach looked liked that.

 
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Roe on July 7, 2008 4:23 PM wrote:

I am more than impressed. She is the most awesome athlete today. Roe

 
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