Dara Torres is a swimmer who has competed for the United States. She competed at the 1984, 1988, 1992, 2000, and 2008 Summer Olympic Games.
Torres became the first swimmer to represent the United States in five editions of the Summer Olympic Games, winning a total of twelve medals (four in each color). She began her career with a gold medal as a member of the women's 4x100 metres freestyle relay team at Los Angeles 1984. She added a silver and a bronze in the freestyle and medley relays at Seoul 1988 and seemingly ended her swimming career with another relay gold to her overall medal tally four years later in Barcelona.
Torres returned to competitive swimming in late 1998 and eventually won five more medals, including two relay golds, at Sydney 2000. She also earned individual bronze medals each in the 50 metres freestyle, 100 metres freestyle with Jenny Thompson, and 100 metres butterfly. At age 33, Torres became the oldest woman to have received an Olympic medal in swimming until Thompson surpassed the feat four years later in Athens.
Eight years after competing at her previous Games, Torres returned for the second time to the pool and secured a spot on the U.S. swimming team at her fifth Olympics in 2008 as a 41-year-old, a first for an American female swimmer. There, she won a silver medal as the anchor swimmer of the U.S. women's 4x100 metres freestyle relay team and trailed the winner Britta Steffen by a hundredth of a second with an American record time in the 50 metres freestyle. Torres' overall tally of twelve medals tied the all-time record for a female Olympic swimmer set by Thompson in 2004 and Natalie Coughlin in 2012. She also won at least a single medal in each of the five Olympic editions contested.
Torres attempted to qualify for her sixth team in 2012 but finished fourth in the 50 metres freestyle at the U.S. trials, concluding her Olympic career.
Olympic Results[]
| Year | Event | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Women's 4x100m freestyle relay | 
|
| 1988 | Women's 100m freestyle | 7th |
| Women's 4x100m freestyle relay | 
| |
| Women's 4x100m medley relay | 
| |
| 1992 | Women's 4x100m freestyle relay |
|
| 2000 | Women's 50m freestyle |
|
| Women's 100m freestyle |
| |
| Women's 100m butterfly |
| |
| Women's 4x100m freestyle relay |
| |
| Women's 4x100m medley relay |
| |
| 2008 | Women's 50m freestyle |
|
| Women's 4x100m freestyle relay |
| |
| Women's 4x100m medley relay |
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1984[]
| Discipline | Round | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4x100 metres freestyle relay | Heats | 3:43.56 (56.88 split) |
AR |
| Final | 3:43.43 (55.92 split) |
AR |
1988[]
| Discipline | Round | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 100 metres freestyle | Heats | 56.37 |
| A Final | 56.25 | |
| 4x100 metres freestyle relay | Heats | 3:45.10 (Reserve) |
| Final | 3:44.25 (55.98 split) | |
| 4x100 metres medley relay | Heats | 4:10.38 (55.75 split) |
| Final | 4:07.90 (Reserve) |
1992[]
| Discipline | Round | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4x100 metres freestyle relay | Heats | 3:41.57 (Reserve) |
|
| Final | 3:39.46 (55.33 split) |
WR |
2000[]
| Discipline | Round | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 metres freestyle | Heats | 24.96 | |
| Semifinal | 24.98 | ||
| Final | 24.63 | AR | |
| 100 metres freestyle | Heats | 55.12 | |
| Semifinal | 55.02 | ||
| Final | 54.63 | ||
| 100 metres butterfly | Heats | 58.76 | |
| Semifinal | 58.35 | ||
| Final | 58.20 | ||
| 4x100 metres freestyle relay | Heats | 3:40.88 (Reserve) |
|
| Final | 3:36.61 (53.51 split) |
WR | |
| 4x100 metres medley relay | Heats | 4:06.16 (Reserve) |
|
| Final | 3:58.30 (53.37 split) |
WR |
2008[]
| Discipline | Round | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 metres freestyle | Heats | 24.58 | |
| Semifinal | 24.27 | ||
| Final | 24.07 | AR | |
| 4x100 metres freestyle relay | Heats | 3:37.53 (Reserve) |
|
| Final | 3:34.33 (52.44 split) |
AR | |
| 4x100 metres medley relay | Heats | 3:59.15 (Reserve) |
|
| Final | 3:53.30 (52.27 split) |
AR |