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Dara Torres, Swimming
Posted: Friday July 30, 1999 12:13 PM
Hometown: Beverly Hills, Calif. Upcoming Events: 2000 Olympic Trials, August 2000, Indianapolis, Ind. Worth Watching Because: The 1992 Olympic women's swim team captain is trying to make a splash in a sport she has not competed in for seven years. With her sights set on Sydney, Torres is training at Stanford University under Richard Quick, head coach of 2000 U.S. Olympic squad. Torres' comeback attempt shouldn't come as a total surprise -- she's done this before. A sprinter who held the world best time in the 50m freestyle from 1983-'86 (25.62) and set the American record in the 100m freestyle (55.30) in 1988, Torres retired from swimming for the first time a decade ago. In 1989, after a stellar career at the University of Florida -- including 28 All-America honors -- Torres dove into television, taking a post as a sports research assistant at NBC. In January 1991, after two years away from the pool, Torres put her TV career on hold and began training for the 1992 Games. With three Olympic relay team medals to her credit (1984: 400m freestyle, gold; 1988: 400m medley, silver; 400m freestyle, bronze), her aim was to win an individual medal. Within weeks of her comeback, Torres was setting records in the 100m freestyle and 100m butterfly. Though she fell short of her personal goal, Torres won gold as a member of the world-record setting 400m freestyle relay team in Barcelona. In the fall of 1992, Torres returned to broadcasting, working as a host and reporter for the Discovery Channel, ESPN, TNT and Fox News Channel, as well as a spokesperson for Tae-Bo workout tapes. At 32, Torres is finding her current comeback to be a bit more challenging than her last. However, Torres is driven by a unique incentive: If she qualifies for Sydney she will become the first American --male or female -- to swim in four Olympics (only eight non-U.S. swimmers have accomplished that feat). "We're going to take it one day at a time and see where it leads," says Quick. Hopefully, for Torres it'll lead to a pool down under. Greatest Success: Won four Olympic medals Quote/Unquote: "I'm committed to swimming. I want to be a part of history." Cool Fact: In 1994, Torres was the first athlete to appear among the supermodels in Sports Illustrated's swimsuit issue. Come back soon for a new women's sports Spotlight.
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