Â鶹APP

Dara Torres-by vironevaeh-

Top 10 Interesting Facts about Dara Torres

Dara Grace Torres, an American former competitive swimmer who won 12 Olympic medals and once held three world records, was born on April 15, 1967. In addition to becoming the oldest swimmer to be selected for the American Olympic team at age 41, Torres is the first swimmer to represent the United States in five Olympic Games (1984, 1988, 1992, 2000, and 2008). She participated in the 4100 medley relay, the 4100 freestyle relay, and the 50-meter freestyle at the 2008 Summer Olympics, winning silver in each of those competitions. Torres is one of three women with the most Olympic women’s swimming medals with 12 wins (four gold, four silver, and four bronze). Jenny Thompson and Natalie Coughlin, two other Americans, round up the group. She is one of a select few Olympians who have earned medals in five different Games, having won at least one medal in each of the five Olympics in which she has participated. Here are some interesting facts about Dara Torres.

Read more on; 10 Famous People from Los Angeles

1. She broke one swimming world record by the age of 14

People Swimming on a Swimming Pool by Kindel Media-

Torres was born in Los Angeles, California. Her mother Marylu was a former American model, and her father was a real estate developer and casino owner who was originally from Cuba. She was the oldest of two females and the fifth of six children. Torres began swimming lessons at the local YMCA when she was seven years old, following in the footsteps of her elder brothers, and then enrolled in the Culver City swimming club to continue her training. At age 14, she defeated Jill Sterkel, a junior in college, the current champion, to win the 50-yard freestyle national open title.

2. She was named Athlete of the Year in the Southeastern Conference and the NCAA in 1988

From 1986 to 1989,  Torres competed for the Florida Gators swimming and diving team in the NCAA under the direction of coach Randy Reese. She won nine Southeastern Conference (SEC) individual titles during her four years as a Gator swimmer, including the 50-yard freestyle (1987, 1988, 1989), 100-yard freestyle (1987, 1988, 1989), 200-yard freestyle (1987), and 100-yard butterfly (1988, 1989). Torres 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; the 400-yard freestyle relay; and the 200-yard and 400-yard medley relays in 1989.

In 1988, Torres won three NCAA individual national championships (50-yard freestyle, 100-yard freestyle, and 100-yard butterfly).  She received 28 All-American swimming awards, which is the highest amount that can be achieved during a collegiate career, becoming the SEC Female Swimmer of the Year in 1987 and 1989, as well as the SEC Athlete of the Year in 1988.

3. Torres is the first American swimmer to compete in five Olympic Games (1984, 1988, 1992, 2000, and 2008)

Dara Torres, Cate Campbell, Francesca Halsall ready to start, 2008 Olympics-by Craig Maccubbin-

Torres competed in the first-round qualifying heat of the U.S. women’s 4100-meter freestyle relay team at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles and went on to win the gold medal in the competition. She qualified for the American Olympic women’s squad in one individual event and two relay events for the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. Together with teammates Mitzi Kremer, Laura Walker, and Mary Wayte, Torres won a bronze medal for swimming for the third-place U.S. women’s team in the 4100-meter freestyle relay final.

Torres competed in just one event to earn a spot on the American women’s Olympic squad for the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. She was awarded a gold medal for her efforts. Torres started preparing for an Olympic comeback in 1999 under the direction of coach Richard Quick after taking a seven-year hiatus from competitive swimming.  

At the Sydney Summer Olympics in 2000, she took home five medals, although she kept her greatest performances for the U.S. Olympic women’s team’s two key relay competitions. At the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials, Torres returned to the pool and, at the age of 41, became the oldest American female swimmer to earn a position in five Olympic Games.

4. She is the oldest swimmer to be selected for the U.S. team at age 41

For the first time ever, an American female swimmer, Torres returned to the pool at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials and qualified for her fifth Olympic Games at the age of 41. She became the first American swimmer to compete in five Olympic Games and the oldest American Olympic swimmer in history.

5. Torres is one of the three women with the most Olympic women’s swimming medals

Torres is one of three women with the most Olympic women’s swimming medals with 12 wins (four gold, four silver, and four bronze). Jenny Thompson and Natalie Coughlin, two other Americans, round up the group.

Read more on; 10 Greatest American Athletes of All Time

6. She was the first athlete to appear in the swimsuit issue of Sports Illustrated in 1994

Dara Torres in 2010 Heart Truth-by The Heart Truth-

Torres has worked as a model and was the first professional swimmer to appear in the 1994 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.  In 2005, she received her induction into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.

7. Torres converted to Judaism before marrying her second husband

After 1992, she wed sports producer Jeff Gowen, whom she later divorced. Before marrying the Israeli surgeon Itzhak Shasha, she fully converted to Judaism after 2000 (she was already half-Jewish through her father). Later on, Torres and Shasha got divorced. Following her breakup with Shasha, Torres started dating reproductive endocrinologist David Hoffman, and the two became parents to Tessa Grace Torres-Hoffman in 2006.

8. Torres is the first female winner of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach celebrity auto competition in 2002

Natalie Coughlin and Dara Torres-by vironevaeh-

Torres won the pole and the overall championship in the celebrity and overall categories in the 26th Annual Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race in Long Beach, California, in 2002, adding a motorsports title to her resume. Danica Patrick, a then-unknown female open-wheel racer, won the professional division, but Torres won the overall championship.

9. Torres has worked in television as a reporter and announcer

Camera recording stage during a show by Caleb Oquendo-

In addition to hosting the golf program The Clubhouse on the Resort Sports Network, Torres has worked in television as a reporter and announcer for American networks NBC, ESPN, TNT, OLN, and Fox News Channel.

Read more on; Top 10 Famous People from California

10. She collaborates with various nonprofits

Torres has participated in Swim Across America for several years as an experienced celebrity swimmer, a nonprofit organization that raises money for cancer research. She co-authored two books with Elizabeth Weil, including Age is Just a Number: Achieve Your Dreams at Any Stage in Your Life and Gold Medal Fitness: A Revolutionary 5-Week Program (with Billie Fitzpatrick). Torres also participates in the American branch of the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation, a non-profit organization where she serves as Vice-President of the Board of Directors. She became the Chief Wellness and Lifestyle Officer of CaniBrands,[ a CBD health and wellness business, in August 2019.

Dara Torres is well known for her athletic prowess despite her age. She had already broken one swimming world record by the age of 14, and at 41, she was the oldest swimmer to be selected for the American Olympic team.