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.
There is at least one woman on the Canadian national cycling team who is over 40. Jeanne Longo is my age (49) and still riding for France, although she's probably not the best example of drug-free, having been caught twice with cold medication in her system. Grete Waitz was still turning in high level results in running in her late 30s.
I think it's only because swimmers have traditionally hung up their goggles so young that it's considered unusual for Darra Torres to still be racing so well at 40. I mean, being a master at 21??? In cycling you used to have to be 35, although it was recently lowered to 30 for some reason.
By the look of it, she works a lot on strength through dryland training, and that probably keeps her from developing overuse injuries. At 40, less probably is more when it comes to very repetitive activities such as swimming.
I think she has kept herself in amazing shape for many years doing Tae Bo, core exercises...check out her abs! :bow:... and weights. She does not look hugely muscled but, very toned and in awesome shape. Yes, she took time out of the pool but, she maintained her fitness level doing other exercises. I think she is clean.
No matter how hard I try, I do not buy it. I did not buy it in Indy last summer and I do not buy it now. I know their is no evidence to the contrary, but I simply do not buy it.
She's got some serious upper body strength. This shot came from Swimming World Magazine.
She's not THAT big. Certainly nothing that somebody would need steroids and such to develop.
When 39 year-old Dara Torres set two World Masters swimming records during the Fort Lauderdale Masters Challenge Swim Meet a few years ago, both records were the fastest ever swam by any female Masters Swimmer. Torres' time, 22.34 in the 50-yard Free, broke the old record of 23.53 from 1996 held by Sandy Neilson-Bell.
That time was faster than she swam in college, (22.38) in 1988.
Gee, I wonder where all that strength suddenly came from. I’m sure it was earned from hard work and dedication just like Barry Bonds. When Barry decided to buckle down after 10 years in Major League Baseball he rededicated himself to hard work in the weight room in order to gain the strength necessary to carry him into baseball history. Barry is such an inspiration to us all.
We cannot forget Mark McGuire and his tremendous determination for he accomplished the same thing as Barry Bonds. Mark turned around his life through hard work in the weight room many years after he began his major League Baseball career. Mark was a true inspiration for us all because he was reborn and became a new man with his dedication to excellence in sports and weight/strength training.
Lastly, we cannot forget Marion Jones and her tremendous conditioning program and her fantastic weight/strength program that built her into the fastest woman in the world. These were truly amazing athletes with their dedication to excellence in their competitive lives. It gives me goose bumps just thinking of their sheer determination to become the very best athletes the world had to offer.
I still believe in her. Her body has not changed shape like Bonds' and McGwire's did. Her training is completely focused on sprinting. Her coaching (as per the NY Times article) is by someone who has publicy stated he will never coach anyone not committed to swimming clean.
Let's not forget that her freestyle technique is unbelievable. Look at the youtube videos of her races.
If she isn't clean, she is taking a huge risk of not getting caught and going down in flames like the Hindenburg.
She's not THAT big. Certainly nothing that somebody would need steroids and such to develop.
Not saying she's big. And not implying that something seems fishy...
Just saying she's ripped.
