Dara just one the national title in the 100M Freestyle in 54.4 at the ripe old age of 40. Simply Incredible. :applaud: :woot:
If that's not inspiring I don't know what is.
I think that one needs to really break down what is being discussed here. If we are talking about strength and flexibility/mobility then I have no doubt that she can regain equal levels of these abilities at 40, especially considering the fact that she has maintained a high level of fitness and not had a real break per se.
As for cardiovascular capacity, I don't really know for sure. Can somebody provide specific information as to why a 40 year olds cardiovascular system will not permit them (naturally) to swim the times that Dara is swimming?
Technique is something that can obviously be learned and improved at any age so that is a non-issue.
Regarding drugs...is the concern that she used drugs to enhance her strength as she began her comeback? Does a 40 year old really need drugs to develop the strength she has? My guess would be no.
My cardiovascular rating was very high when I had it tested a few years back. I had the lungs of a 16 year old. I was in my mid 20's..admittedly still young but the capacity was above average. My grandfather also had a very good cardiovasuclar system, he was so good at PT in the army in WWII they wanted him to say on and become and instructor. Even in later life his readings were very good--until emphysema set in during the later years. He always looked young for his age and was in great shape.
I just mention this as there are factors that can break the age barrier.
I like to leave the door open for the possibity of this being on the up and up. Regardless of logical assupmtions and statistics.
Age affects people in different ways. Some of this I suspect is due to lifestyle and some is due to genetics. I don't think it is fair to say that because Rich Saeger (is that the correct spelling? I have no clue who this guy is...only that he is apparently quite fast at any age.) can't replicate his youthful times that nobody else can either.
Geek - you are correct I do not think we can compare Dara to any other athletes. Jenny Thompson perhaps. Jenny came back after a few years off to swim darn fast. She was ONLY in her early 30s though.
No mention yet by anyone of Gary Hall Jr.? He and Dara share quite about in common...not the least of which is their best event is the 50 not the 100.....interesting to see GHJ's 100 time fading...yet Dara goes a lifetime best....
All of this is fun and interesting speculation and a good debate.....but also very sad that the world of sports has forever lost its "innocence" and the reality is that everything will and....should be questioned because the cheats will always be ahead of the testers.
Geek.....next time try a pump to inflate those tires! :mooning:
This is why Dara is not cheating. You only have to look at what there is to lose if she is caught:
1. That illustrious 28 year career? Down the drain, everything she ever accomplished would be blemished. All this to make another Olympic Team? I don't think so.
2. Child Services...you know if she is caught doping, it would have huge news coverage. And since at least until recently she was breastfeeding, that would be grounds for child neglect/abuse. Child Services tends to frown on this kind of stuff.
And you can't make the money argument either, there is not that much money behind a successful bid anyway....If we were talking millions, maybe.
The fact remains that Dara is one of the most gifted and technically solid swimmers is history. Since we have only scratched the surface on effeciency of humans in the water, it is definately possible.
And lastly for those of you that ask why other past talented swimmers could not do it, I would say many swimmers of the past relied to heavily on power and endurance vs technique. Power and Endurance diminish, Technique does not. I have seen many world class swimmers have poor technique, and they only last a few years and then voila! They are gone
SCYfreestyler,
No one has ever done this in swimming.
She is the first.
If you don't like the Rich Saeger comparison.... then consider the Susan Vonder Lippe (Rapp) comparison. She's a multilple olympic team member as well.
Sluggo8:
Dara is won of the better female sprinters this country has produced..... but I would never say she is on of the "most gifted " swimmers. Those kinds of adjectives are reserved for individuals like Tracy Caulkins, Mary T., and Janet Evans.
John Smith
The variance in the current WR between a male and female is at least 5.15 seconds if you count Lenton's 52.99 draft 100 meter free next to Phelps in relation to Hoogie's 47.84. If you do not count the draft swim, it is greater than 5.5 seconds. If you look at the Master's WR for men 40 to 44 in the 100 meter freestyle, Rich Saeger (an Olympic Gold medalist), he is barely a second ahead of Ms. Torres. After next year it will probably be a half a second or .5.
The statistical probability of this is virtually impossible without drugs. These drugs do not have to be HGH, which is not tested for, as it could simply be insulin or an entire myraid of drugs that get by testing. The mantra that "I am tested and it was negative" rings hollow post the Tour de France. Of course there is no direct evidence, such as standing out in the rain. However, when inside and someone walks in soaking wet, the circumstantial evidence is overwhelming that it is raining outside. Here is the short list of circumstantial evidence that it is raining:
-she never won an individual medal until age 33 at the 2000 Olympics ;
-she put on 20 pounds of lean muscle mass in a year before the 2000 Olympics;
-she is doing lifetime bests at age 40;
-she sat out 6 years from 2000 to 2006;
-she attributes her post 40 success to what?
The great thing in America is the freedom to believe what you want to believe. However, if she is doing this, why has no other male or female ever even approached this level of success (National Champion doing life time bests) after the age of 40 in a 100? Swimmers that post can hold onto their belief that she is clean, just like Barry Bonds whose head and feet grew in size incredibly in his late 30's due to HGH usage, but there is no doubt in my mind that she is not clean as she is using performance enhancing Drugs/ supplements beyond creatine.
I don't know why so many people think that Dara has kept her self in great condition to benefit her swimming during these off years. Any top level coach will tell you, there is VERY little substitute for practicing swimming fast other than working out in the pool and SWIMMING FAST. She did not swim hard for years on end during her breaks which total around 13 years.
I don't know about this. If she is so innately talented, maybe she's rusty at first, but snaps back quickly?
Much like ImSpoiled, I took 24 years off from swimming during which I did not get in a pool at all. After a year or so, I was doing pretty well in the sprint distances. And I'm just a regular old masters swimmer who stopped age group swimming at 19, not a Dara type by any stretch of the imagination. So imagine what she can do.
What is that flax seed oil supposed to do exactly? I know it's good for dry eye, but what else?
I agree with aul with the GHJ comparison. The 50 is one thing, but the 100 is another ...
SCYfreestyler,
No one has ever done this in swimming.
She is the first.
If you don't like the Rich Saeger comparison.... then consider the Susan Vonder Lippe (Rapp) comparison. She's a multilple olympic team member as well.
John Smith
John, it's not that I don't like the comparison with Rich per se. The problem is that your sample pool is too small to yield results that are worthy of consideration. A few elite swimmers are not a representative sample of human abilities in general. Consider how many people might be out there right now with the physiological makeup to dominate swimming even moreso than our current crop of heroes. I would argue that looking only at swimmers is the easy comparison to make but it's not scientific by any stretch of the imagination.
As for firsts, is Phelps not the first to be as dominant as he is? Sure Spitz had his run at the Olympics but I don't think that really compares to what Phelps has done...especially looking at his Worlds performances this year. Looking at his backstroke this week at nationals it is not outside of reason to suspect that he might be holding the WR for that event sometimes soon as well. It's almost superhuman, no? I wonder what he is taking?
Not trying to be a jerk here John ( I leave that to Geek and Stud), I am just trying to convey a point. If somebody can provide some solid evidence as to why Dara's comeback is not humanly possible I will be glad to listen.
Matt
Good Smith, the reason people bring up her keeping in great shape during her extended breaks is that it is much easier to get back into great swimming shape if you are already in good shape otherwise. Does anyone know if she was swimming at all? I remember hearing that she swam a lot during her pregnancy.
