Fansided

30 Olympic athletes who dominated their events

By Patrick Morgan

Jul 9, 2015; Montreal, CAN; A general view as fireworks illuminate the olympic rings on top the Canada Olympic House during the Excellence Day. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 9, 2015; Montreal, CAN; A general view as fireworks illuminate the olympic rings on top the Canada Olympic House during the Excellence Day. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dara Torres was one of the most successful American swimmers in the history of the Olympics.
Swimming: US Olympic Trials: Dara Torres during Women’s 50M Freestyle Semifinals at CenturyLink Center.Omaha, NE 7/1/2012CREDIT: Robert Beck (Photo by Robert Beck /Sports Illustrated/Getty Images)(Set Number: X155100 TK6 R1 F149 ) /

29. Dara Torres

If Natalie Coughlin is Larry Bird, then Dara Torres is Magic Johnson. If Coughlin is Butch Cassidy, then Torres is the Sundance Kid. If Coughlin is Angry Birds, Torres is… Pokemon Go?

While that last example might be a bit of a stretch, it’s not a stretch to say that Dara Torres is one of the most dominant swimmers in Olympic history. Famous for earning a place on the 2008 U.S. Olympic swim team at the age of 41 (itself a record), Torres racked up 12 medals over the course of a career that spanned five separate Olympic Games. Astoundingly, she got her first taste of Olympic gold with the women’s 4×100-meter freestyle relay team at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles – when she was just 17 years old.

Can you imagine returning for your senior year of high school as an international champion and American hero? Because that’s just what Torres did.

When you do the math, you realize Torres has competed and medaled in Olympic competition in four of the five decades she’s been alive on this earth. That’s a feat no other human being in history can say, and reason enough for her inclusion on this exclusive list of all-time Olympic greats.

Next: 28. Carmelo Anthony

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