Silver linings for Torres

BEIJING -- This doesn’t change Dara Torres’ story. She’s still 41, still a mom. She still had to recover from shoulder surgery, still came back after a seven-year retirement.

And if this was supposed to be an American dream scene, an example to middle age moms, did she really have to win gold? Torres goes home with three silvers.

She won silver in the 50-meter freestyle in the Beijing Olympics Sunday, finishing in 24.07, just .01 behind Germany’s Britta Steffan. Less than an hour later, she came back for the Women’s 4X100 medley relay, and won another silver.

``I’m just glad to come here and win three medals,’’ she said. ``I’m competitive. I wanted to win the gold, but I gave it my best shot. Maybe I should have field my nails last night.’’

That’s just the sort of quirky thing she says that has helped to make her popular. Torres also talked about trying to relax her teammates in the relay by imitating what she went through in childbirth.

Torres said she hopes she would serve as inspiration to women in their 40s who have had kids, referred to tennis player Lindsay Davenport the same way and said she hoped others would emerge.

``I used to have kids come up to me asking for photos and autographs, and now I have adults coming up to me at meets saying they’ve been inspired,’’ she said. ``It’s been fun having an adult age group following me, and I hope I represent them well.’’

Torres was winning Olympic golds before some of her competitors in the 50 were born. Literally. Bronze medal winner Cate Campbell was born in 1992, the year Torres was in her third Olympics.

With medals in five Olympics, Torres has won in more Games than any swimmer in history. She also tied Jenny Thompson’s record of 12 career Olympic medals.

The question about Torres is whether she is too good to be true. In a young person’s game built on strength and quickness, can someone honestly, without steroids, swim faster at 41 than at 33?

In the 50-meter in 2000, Torres won bronze in 24.63 seconds. That’s more than half a second slower than she did it Sunday.

``I’ve done everything I possibly can (to show she’s clean),’’ she said. ``I’m one of the few athletes who have gone beyond what they’re supposed to do. I’ve had blood and urine samples kept for years on end.’’

Torres participated in a program that involved extra, more complete testing. She also reportedly went to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, asking for all sorts of tests, and offering up hair samples to store and be re-tested years later, when science catches up to the doping cheats.

So it’s a matter of side of her story you believe. Most people seem to believe the good side.

``A couple of hours before I swam,’’ she said the other day. ``I called my daughter and she said, ``Hello Mommy.’ You know, that said it all.’