There are sports performances that you just want to believe. It is one of the attraction of sports. Ever so often, an individual comes along to show that the impossible is indeed possible. Michael Jordan came along and defied gravity. Tiger Woods came along and showed that the little white ball can be ‘mastered’ more often than we ever imagined. Wayne Gretzsky mesmerized fans by having an uncanny expectation of appearing where the puck was going to be. These are examples of the phenomena of sports.

It enchants; and we want to be captured by the majesty of the performance.

And we want to believe in the phenomenal performances of Dara Torres:

“…The 40-year-old Torres finished in 23.82 to better the U.S. record for the second time within hours, with Alshammar third at 24.05.

Torres had clocked a 23.87 in her heat for her first American record at the event, bettering the 24.21 Kara Lynn Joyce swam on March 18, 2004.”

link: Veldhuis, Nystrand swim to world records

Ms Torres is competing, at forty years old. In the sport of swimming, anyone who is over twenty years of age is considered old and nearing the completion of a competitive swimming career. Some of Ms Torres’ competitors are less than half her age. Ms Torres has been an Olympian, many times. She has been a record holder; and now she is back.

Tests for drugs and chemically enhanced performance have been negative. Ms Torres knows that there are suspicions that her present performances are chemically assisted. She is testing to prove that she is indeed ‘clean’. Whether it is genetics, training, hard work, innate ability or a combination of those and other factors, we want to believe in her athletic abilities. It redefines what is possible at forty years of age. It defies and redefines our present concepts.

We want Dara Torres to have ‘pure speed’.

Catherine Forsythe

[tag]dara torres, swimming, age, drugs, speed[/tag]