Dara Torres facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Dara Torres

Torres waves to the crowd after winning a silver medal in 50-meter freestyle at the 2008 Olympics.
Personal information
Nickname(s)	"DT"
Born	(1967-04-15) April 15, 1967 (age 58) Beverly Hills, California, U.S.
Height	5 ft 11 in
Weight	150 lb
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Strokes	Butterfly, freestyle
Club	Culver City Swim Club Mission Viejo Nadadores
College team	University of Florida
Coach	Randy Reese Mark Schubert Richard Quick
Medal record Women's swimming Representing  United States Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 4 4 4 World Championships (LC) 0 1 0 Pan Pacific Championships 3 0 0 Pan American Games 1 0 0 Total 8 5 4 Olympic Games Gold 1984 Los Angeles 4×100 m freestyle Gold 1992 Barcelona 4×100 m freestyle Gold 2000 Sydney 4×100 m freestyle Gold 2000 Sydney 4×100 m medley Silver 1988 Seoul 4×100 m medley Silver 2008 Beijing 50 m freestyle Silver 2008 Beijing 4×100 m freestyle Silver 2008 Beijing 4×100 m medley Bronze 1988 Seoul 4×100 m freestyle Bronze 2000 Sydney 50 m freestyle Bronze 2000 Sydney 100 m freestyle Bronze 2000 Sydney 100 m butterfly World Championships (LC) Silver 1986 Madrid 4×100 m freestyle Pan Pacific Championships Gold 1987 Brisbane 100 m freestyle Gold 1987 Brisbane 4×100 m freestyle Gold 1987 Brisbane 4×100 m medley Pan American Games Gold 1983 Caracas 4×100 m freestyle

Dara Grace Torres (born April 15, 1967) is an amazing American swimmer. She has won 12 Olympic medals, making her one of the most successful swimmers ever. Dara is special because she was the first American swimmer to compete in five Olympic Games. She swam in the Olympics in 1984, 1988, 1992, 2000, and 2008.

At 41 years old, she was the oldest swimmer to join the U.S. Olympic team. In the 2008 Summer Olympics, she won three silver medals. She earned these in the 50-meter freestyle race and two relay events. Dara's 12 Olympic medals (four gold, four silver, four bronze) tied the record for the most Olympic swimming medals for a woman at that time. She won at least one medal in every Olympics she competed in.

Dara Torres: Early Life and First Swims

Dara Torres was born in Los Angeles, California. Her father was a real estate developer. Her mother was a model. Dara was one of six children. When she was seven, she started swimming at the local YMCA. She then joined a swimming club in Culver City.

By age 14, Dara was already a national champion. She won the 50-yard freestyle race. She even beat the current champion, Jill Sterkel. Dara went to Westlake School for Girls. She swam for the school team. She also played basketball, gymnastics, and volleyball. In her junior year, she moved to train for her first Olympics. She joined the Mission Viejo Nadadores.

College Swimming: A Gator Great

Dara went to the University of Florida on a scholarship. She swam for the Florida Gators from 1986 to 1989. She was a top swimmer in college. Dara won nine individual championships. She also helped her team win 12 relay championships.

In 1988, she won three national championships. She earned 28 All-American honors. This is the highest number possible in college swimming. Dara also played volleyball for Florida. She graduated with a degree in telecommunications in 1990. In 1999, she was added to the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame.

Dara's Olympic Journey: Five Games, Many Medals

First Olympics: 1984 Los Angeles

Torres in 1984, during her first Olympic appearance.

Dara competed in her first Olympics in 1984. This was in Los Angeles. She was part of the U.S. women's 4×100-meter freestyle relay team. They won a gold medal. She swam in the first race that helped her team qualify.

Seoul 1988 and Barcelona 1992

At the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, Dara won two more medals. She earned a bronze medal in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay. She also won a silver medal in the 4×100-meter medley relay. She swam in the early races for the medley relay.

For the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Dara swam in one event. She was part of the winning 4×100-meter freestyle relay team. This earned her another gold medal.

First Comeback: Sydney 2000 Olympics

Dara took seven years off from swimming. Then, in 1999, she decided to train for the Olympics again. This was her first big comeback. At the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, she won five medals. She helped the U.S. women's team win two gold medals in relays. These were the 4×100-meter freestyle relay and the 4×100-meter medley relay.

Dara also won three individual bronze medals. These were in the 50-meter freestyle, 100-meter butterfly, and 100-meter freestyle. At 33, she was the oldest woman to win an Olympic swimming medal. She won more medals than any other U.S. swimmer that year.

Second Comeback: Beijing 2008 Olympics

Dara Torres at the Missouri Grand Prix in 2008.

In 2007, at age 40, Dara made another comeback. She had just had her first child 16 months earlier. She won the 100-meter freestyle at the U.S. Nationals. She also set a new American record in the 50-meter freestyle. She broke her own record from the 2000 Olympics.

At the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials, Dara qualified for her fifth Olympics. This was a first for an American female swimmer. She became the oldest U.S. Olympic swimmer ever. She broke the American record in the 50-meter freestyle again. She won the top spot for the U.S. team in that event.

Dara had a special training team. It included a coach, a chiropractor, and masseuses. She also used resistance-stretching. Her training cost a lot, but sponsors like Speedo helped. Her coach, Michael Lohberg, said her performance was one of the biggest in sports history.

At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Dara won three silver medals. She won one as the anchor swimmer in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay. This was her fifth Olympic medal in that relay event. She became the oldest swimmer to win an Olympic medal.

She won another silver in the 50-meter freestyle. She finished just 0.01 seconds behind the winner. Thirty-five minutes later, she won her third silver. This was for the 4×100-meter medley relay. Her swim in that relay was incredibly fast. Dara's 12 Olympic medals tied the record for a female Olympic swimmer.

Retirement from Competitive Swimming

After the 2008 Olympics, Dara continued to swim. In 2009, she won the 50-meter freestyle at the U.S. National Championships. She also competed in the World Championships for the first time since 1986.

After knee surgery, she aimed for the 2012 Summer Olympics. At the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials, she placed fourth in the 50-meter freestyle. Only the top two swimmers qualified. So, Dara's Olympic career ended there. She announced her retirement from competitive swimming. Her amazing Olympic journey lasted 24 years.

Life Outside the Pool

Dara Torres has done many things outside of swimming. She has worked in television as a reporter and announcer. She worked for networks like NBC and ESPN. She also hosted a golf show.

Dara has also been a model. She was the first elite swimmer to appear in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. In 2005, she was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.

Dara and David Hoffman had a daughter, Tessa Grace, in 2006. David, who also swims, encouraged Dara to train again. Dara appeared on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire in 2000. She won $125,000 for a charity called Cystic Fibrosis.

She supports Swim Across America. This group raises money for cancer research. Dara has also written two books. One is called Age is Just a Number. The other is Gold Medal Fitness. She is also involved with the Princess Charlene of Monaco foundation. In 2019, she joined a health and wellness company. In 2024, she became the Head Swimming and Diving Coach at Boston College.

World Records

Dara Torres set several world records during her career.

50 Meter Freestyle

Women's 4×100-meter freestyle relay

Women's 4×100-meter medley relay

See also

In Spanish: Dara Torres para niños

• List of multiple Olympic gold medalists
• List of multiple Olympic gold medalists in one event
• List of multiple Olympic medalists in one event
• List of multiple Summer Olympic medalists
• List of notable Jewish swimmers
• List of Olympic medalists in swimming (women)
• List of United States records in swimming
• List of University of Florida alumni
• List of University of Florida Olympians
• List of University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame members
• List of World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming (women)
• World record progression 50 metres freestyle
• World record progression 4 × 100 metres freestyle relay
• World record progression 4 × 100 metres medley relay