Dara Torres

Dara Grace Torres is an American former competitive swimmer, coach, author, and model who won 12 Olympic medals and held world records in three events. She is the first swimmer to represent the United States at five Olympic Games—1984, 1988, 1992, 2000, and 2008—and became the oldest swimmer to qualify for the U.S. Olympic team at age 41. She currently serves as the Head Swimming and Diving Coach at Boston College.

Born on April 15, 1967, in Los Angeles, California, Torres was raised in Beverly Hills as the fifth of six children born to Edward Torres and Marylu Kauder. She began swimming at age seven at a YMCA, later joining a swimming club in Culver City. At age 14, she won the national open championship in the 50-yard freestyle. She attended the Westlake School for Girls, competing in swimming, basketball, gymnastics, and volleyball, before training with the Mission Viejo Nadadores under coach Mark Schubert during her junior year. She graduated from Westlake in 1985.

Torres attended the University of Florida on an athletic scholarship, swimming for the Florida Gators under coach Randy Reese from 1986 to 1989. During her college career, she won nine Southeastern Conference (SEC) individual titles, 12 SEC relay titles, three NCAA individual championships, and six NCAA relay championships. She was named SEC Athlete of the Year in 1988, SEC Female Swimmer of the Year twice, and earned 28 All-American honors. She graduated in 1990 with a bachelor's degree in telecommunications and was inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999.

Torres made her Olympic debut at the 1984 Games in Los Angeles, earning gold in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay. At the 1988 Seoul Olympics, she won a bronze medal in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay and a silver medal for swimming in the heats of the 4×100-meter medley relay. She won another gold medal in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. After seven years out of competition, she returned under coach Richard Quick for the 2000 Sydney Games, winning five medals: gold in both the 4×100-meter freestyle and medley relays, and bronze in the 50-meter freestyle, 100-meter freestyle, and 100-meter butterfly.

She launched a second comeback for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where she served as a team captain. At age 41, she won silver medals in the 50-meter freestyle, 4×100-meter freestyle relay, and 4×100-meter medley relay. Her 12 career medals (four gold, four silver, four bronze) tied the record for a female Olympic swimmer. Torres competed at the 2009 World Championships and attempted to qualify for the 2012 Olympics, placing fourth in the 50-meter freestyle at the U.S. trials before retiring.

Beyond swimming, Torres was the first elite swimmer to model swimwear in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in 1994 and worked as a television announcer and reporter for NBC, ESPN, TNT, OLN, and Fox News Channel. She co-authored two fitness and lifestyle books, served as Chief Wellness and Lifestyle Officer for CaniBrands, and joined the board of directors for the U.S. chapter of the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation.