A for Athlete
A for Athlete

Target: Dara Torres[]

Quotes from others from the USA Swimming Olympic Trials in July 2008:[]

Frank Busch, a coach, said:[]

  • "I don't know what you even compare it to," says men's assistant coach Frank Busch of Torres's performance. "I don't know that people really grasp what that means. She's obviously talented, but determined? The sacrifices she's made? At 41 years of age?"

Coach Michael Lohberg[]

Torres says she was inspired by a number of fellow masters' swimmers who told her they wanted to see a 40-year-old in the Olympics. Her coach, Michael Lohberg of the Coral Springs (Fla.) Swim Club, said that it's because "she's nuts. She enjoys jumping in that pool and swimming fast because of the feeling she gets. Tonight, to touch that wall, this is [that feeling]. She wants to look at the scoreboard and say, You know what, people? I'm Number 1."

Coach Bob Bowman was quoted:[]

Dara Torres's most recent comeback is a credit to an innovative training program that includes weight work that emphasizes core stability as well as several hours a day of massage and stretching. She is leaner, more balanced and more efficient in the water than she was in 2000 when "she swam on strength," says Michael Phelps's coach, Bob Bowman. "Now it's more finesse-like."