American swimmer Dara Torres, 41, achieved the impossible on 25th April when she classified for the Olympic Games in Beijing. This will be the fifth time she takes part in the Games. Her Olympic career started in Los Angeles 1984, continued in Seoul 1988 and Barcelona 1992, she made a comeback in Sydney 2000 and now, after an eight-year stop, she comes back again.

It is really impressive to see her return to pools at an age in which most swimmers are retired and it is even more impressive the fact that she obtained a place in Beijing by winning the trials in the United States. During the contest, she competed against some of the finest American swimmers, many of whom are 20 years younger than Torres.

“It's sort of bittersweet for me because I made my fifth Olympic team, but I'm going to be away from my daughter for a month, and that's going to be real hard emotionally,” Torres commented. “I'm happy I'm going to Beijing. I want people to know I am doing this right, that I am 41 years old and I am clean and I want a clean sport.”

The list of medals of this wonder woman includes three gold medals in the 400m free relay in Los Angeles 1984, Barcelona 1992 and Sydney 2000, a gold medal in the 400m freestyle in 2000, plus three bronze medals in Sydney 2000 in the 50m and 100m freestyle and the 100m butterfly, and a silver medal in the 4x100m relay in Seoul 1988.