Dara Torres-Amazing

The difference between this and Torres' situation is that there is no evidence whatsoever against DT other than the performances themselves and a few pictures, all of which I think is pretty weak. So for me DT gets the benefit of the doubt, just as any other athlete would. Your argument is flawed in a number of respects. Nowadays, athletic performances are viewed with suspicion because of the pervasiveness of performance enhancing drugs in sport. In other words, it becomes more and more difficult to give an athlete "the benefit of the doubt." Second, her performances need to be viewed in the proper context--personal bests (and an American record at that) in a 40 year old woman. It is well known that maximum heart rate declines with age. VO2max declines by 10% per decade. Pulmonary function declines. Cardiac output declines as a function of heart rate and stroke volume. Studies have not shown that training alters this. This is why some of us have a problem accepting these results as being clean.

The difference between this and Torres' situation is that there is no evidence whatsoever against DT other than the performances themselves and a few pictures, all of which I think is pretty weak. So for me DT gets the benefit of the doubt, just as any other athlete would. Your argument is flawed in a number of respects. Nowadays, athletic performances are viewed with suspicion because of the pervasiveness of performance enhancing drugs in sport. In other words, it becomes more and more difficult to give an athlete "the benefit of the doubt." Second, her performances need to be viewed in the proper context--personal bests (and an American record at that) in a 40 year old woman. It is well known that maximum heart rate declines with age. VO2max declines by 10% per decade. Pulmonary function declines. Cardiac output declines as a function of heart rate and stroke volume. Studies have not shown that training alters this. This is why some of us have a problem accepting these results as being clean.