Most of the attention at the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing has focussed on Michael Phelps and his record 8 gold medals. Phelps captivated the nation with his success in the pool. With every win, Phelps built momentum and Americans watched closely back home. Phelps was truely remarkable, but he wasn't the only great story in the pool.
41 year old Dara Torres defied the odds by winning three silver medals in the women's swimming competition. She missed gold in one of the events by 1-thousandth of a second. In a sport where swimmers are competing for medals from 16 to 25 years of age, Torres was a true inspiration. And she made the commitment to train for these Olympic games as a new mother. Torres turned in three silver medal performances while her 2-year old daughter, Tessa, knows little of what's going on.
And how about the ultimate act of sportsmanship? When another swimmer showed up with a ripped swim suit, Torres told her to change, talked the other swimmers into waiting for her and then telling the judge the same thing. By rule, they wouldn't have had to wait for the swimmer to change her suit. But Torres said, let's wait and let her compete. That was in a semifinal. Torres took first to qualifiy for the final.
Torres didn't win 8 gold medals like Michael Phelps, in fact, she didn't even win one gold medal. But she did win three silvers at the age of 41 and in my opinion, is the 2nd greatest story in the Beijing Olympic Games.