Dara Torres-Amazing

I think that is the point. To some of us the simplest answer to being faster at 40 than you were at 20 is drugs. Optimism is not the same thing as logic (and neither is cynicism, to be fair).Is also the simplest answer to swimming faster at, say 23 or 25, or 29, than at 20 also drugs? So therefore Neethling is a cheater, Phelps is a cheater, Schoeman is a cheater, Jones is a cheater, Keller is a cheater, Brunelli is a cheater, Lochte is a cheater, Vendt is a cheater, Swimstud is a cheater, Coughlin is a cheater, the list goes on and on…

My mind disconnects when the reality that “no testing” is performed for those years she was retired. Essentially, she “could” have had her baby, and then began to get back in shape, and built her body back using hard work and the juice (or whatever she chose) and no one would know the difference. But would this be effective? As soon as she went off the juice she'd start losing the gains based on those drugs. If drugs really affect performance that much why would she continue to swim faster months after going off the drugs? Rob's points about technique and suit technology are good ones. Plenty of masters swimmers are reaping the benefits of these, getting close to or setting lifetime bests at older ages. Why can't Dara also do this? I really hope Dara is not a cheater. I think it is very possible she's a phenomenally talented swimmer who didn't quite have the focus she needed when she was a teenager/college swimmer. Now she's got her head in the game, has her technique refined to perfection and she's as fast as ever. I don't think it's beyond the realm of possibility.

thanks. Also I was a much better swimmer when I was preggos. Your limbs are so loose. I think she also mentioned that in the article. My strokes were near perfect and I felt great. And how many of us returned to swimming after not swimming for a while (since high school) and still "had it". Once it's in you, it's in you.

Would she really dope while breastfeeding? That is actually a pretty good point.

Geez, when did we become so cynical? When did hard work, natural talent, great coaching and a passion for excellence get replaced by she must be cheating; as the explanation for performance? Since people stopped falling off turnip trucks? Since it has been proven that our ability to come up with ways to dope outstrips our coming up with tests to find the dope? Occam's razor - All things being equal, the simplest solution tends to be the best one. Talent and hard work pay off. I think that is the point. To some of us the simplest answer to being faster at 40 than you were at 20 is drugs. Optimism is not the same thing as logic (and neither is cynicism, to be fair). In response to almost all of you - Dara has boatloads of money. Her dad is beyond wealthy too, she certainly doesn't need the money. I don't think it's money. I think it is ego. All tragedy and farce begin there. It is the essence of the human condition. In I hate all the cynisim because it was all talked about in the run upto Sydney where she never once tested positive. Once she makes the national team which her times will do for her and/or makes the team for the Japan meet which she did with her 100 time she will be tested. She will be tested all the time upto Beijing. I guarantee not one test will be positive. IF (and I don't believe it for a second) she took drugs to get her to where she is she would have to keep taking them in order to perform well. Yeah. And Lance Armstrong never tested positive either. She has about a kazillion doctors feeding her suppplements all day every day. They could never possible keep levels just below the threshold. No one knows anything about evading drug tests. Despite what you want to believe, the world isn't just and talent & hard work is much flimsier than it appears. Keep believing in that indomitiable human spirit, though.

Bonds doesn't need the money either. Bonds was ticked that McGwire and Sosa got all the press for breaking 61 hr/season. So now the attention is all on him.

This is probably the same article linked before sports.espn.go.com/.../wire but it also mentions that Dara breastfed in between events. That is such an amazing feat in itself. Would she really dope while breastfeeding?

In response to almost all of you - Dara has boatloads of money. Her dad is beyond wealthy too, she certainly doesn't need the money. Bonds doesn't need the money either. Not sure what a wealthy daddy has to do with it. Maybe a wealthy sugar daddy would be more relevant. I can think of one current athlete competing at this level at that age - Vijay Singh. I'll admit that is a huge stretch. Heck, they even say 30 is old in NASCAR now. The reason we are cynical is because 99% of the time stuff that looks too good to be true is.

Thank you Rob, my thoughts exactly!

In response to almost all of you - Dara has boatloads of money. Her dad is beyond wealthy too, she certainly doesn't need the money. I hate all the cynisim because it was all talked about in the run upto Sydney where she never once tested positive. Once she makes the national team which her times will do for her and/or makes the team for the Japan meet which she did with her 100 time she will be tested. She will be tested all the time upto Beijing. I guarantee not one test will be positive. IF (and I don't believe it for a second) she took drugs to get her to where she is she would have to keep taking them in order to perform well. I feel like accusing her of being doped up takes away from her accomplishment. And comparing her to male athletes in sports like football is pointless. Totally different sports, differnet effect on the body - pounding, and different types of abilities to be the best.