"Dara Torres: An Inspiration!" by Joboy Quintos

Dara Torres at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. (Photo from Bryan Allison)

Dara Torres is a veteran of five Olympic Games, from the Seoul in 1988 all the way to Beijing in 2008. She had amassed a total of 12 Olympic medals, four of them gold. The then 41-year old Dara won three silver medals in Beijing. At the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials, the 45-year old placed fourth in the 50m freestyle finals, narrowly missing a ticket to her fifth straight Olympics.

Article by Joboy Quintos

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Saori Kimura 木村 沙織 (JPN, Volleyball)

Saori Kimura 木村 沙織 is a veteran Japanese volleyball player. Since making her international debut in 2003, Kimura has competed in three editions of the Volleyball World Championships and two Olympic Games.

Photo from m-louis

Soari was just in high school when she made her maiden Olympics appearance in Athens back in 2004. She was part of the Japanese team that won a bronze medal at the 2010 World Championships. The same year, she was adjudged as Best Scorer at the 2010 FIVB World Grand Prix.

The talented spiker has won several awards in Japan's domestic professional league. As a 20-year old, Saori was cited as Newcomer of the Year. The spiker then won two Most Valuable Player awards in 2009 and 2010, on top of consistent appearances in the Best Six team of the Women's Volleyball Premiere League.

Kimura plays her club volleyball with the Toray Arrows 東レ・アローズ. Since 2007, the team has garnered a total of nine titles from various high level tournaments.

Source:
Saori's Toray Arrows Profile
Soari's Wikipedia Profile

Stephanie Rice (AUS, Swimming)

I can still vividly remember my first swimming lesson. We were made to jump into the pool and cross (by whatever way possible) to the other side. My eight-year old self chickened out. There and then I knew for a fact that I'm every inch a land lubber. Considering my childhood fears of water, I look at champion swimmers with a certain sense of respect!

Stephanie Rice is one such athlete. 

The Australian is a certified sports star. She made her major championship debut for her country at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, where as an 18-year old, she won two gold medals. A year later at the World Championships, the young rice snared two bronzes at the 200m and 400m medley.

Her Olympic debut was golden - three times over. The Brisbane-based Stephanie topped her two best events, adding a 4x200m relay freestyle gold as icing on the cake. Rice had set world records in each of her three events in Beijing. 

Source:

Stephanie's Wikipedia Profile

Dara Torres (USA, Swimming Legend)

The first time I learned about Dara Torres was during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. I was awestruck at the fact that a 40-year old is attempting to compete at the world's biggest stage, to say the least. But then again, Torres wasn't just in it for the ride. The mere fact that she qualified for the Swimming competition for the United States Olympic Team is proof of her extreme fitness level.

Photo from Wikipedia

Prior to Beijing, Torres was already an American swimming legend, winner of four gold medals, a silver medal and four bronzes spanning 4 Olympics - from Los Angeles 1984 to Sydney 2000. At age 15, Torres set her first American national record at her best event, the 50m freestyle. The California-raised Torres had nothing left to prove in the sport. But almost two decades since her competitive debut, Torres was at her 5th Olympic Games - a stellar feat in itself.

And lo and behold, the mother to a then-two year old daughter did not just come along to Beijing for the ride. There was to be no forgettable races as Dara did not fade quietly into the sunset. Instead, she fought fiercely, winning an astounding 3 silver medals in the 4x100m freestyle, the 4x100m medley and the 50m freestyle.

She lost the gold medal in her best event, the 50m freestyle, in the most infinitesimal of margins. Germany's Britta Steffen won by a 0.01s. Steffen was barely a year old during Torres' Olympic debut in the 1983 Los Angeles Games!

Indeed, Dara Torres is a Superb Señora!