Torres looking for ticket to Rome

Based on recent history it would be foolish for anyone to doubt U.S. swimmer Dara Torres' ability to overcome obstacles and perform at a high level on a big stage.

It was Torres who shocked the world at the 2008 Beijing Olympics when she took home three silver medals while competing in her fifth Olympics as a 41-year-old mother.

Now 42, Torres is battling through a knee injury and the absence of her coach as she prepares to swim this week in the 50-meter and 100-meter freestyle events at the 2009 ConocoPhillips USA Swimming National Championships and World Championship Trials in Indianapolis.

Torres told reporters in a conference call last week that her left knee has been bothering her and will require surgery after this summer.

"It's old age-I have arthritis," Torres said. "I basically have no cartilage left so I'm getting bone on bone. There's nothing I can do to make it better, I'm just trying to get through the summer and then have it fixed."

The knee injury has caused some doubt as to whether Torres will be able to swim the 100 this week. Torres said that performing the flip turns that are required in the 100 have been difficult for her in practice and that her knee swelled up considerably after practicing three starts last week.

"I'm definitely swimming the 50 free, and I'm supposed to swim the 100 free, but it's a little bit up in the air," she said. "I haven't done as much endurance training as I did last year, plus I haven't swam the 100 free since Beijing. It's probably more of a 60-40 chance that I'm going to swim it."

The knee injury isn't the only hurdle that Torres has faced leading up to the national championships. Her coach, Michael Lohberg, has been battling some health issues that at times have kept him away from the pool.

Lohberg was diagnosed last year with aplastic anemia-a rare disorder in which the bore marrow stops making enough red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. At the time of last week's conference call, Torres said that Lohberg was in the hospital with an infection in his blood.

"Michael has been able to coach me for the past few months,'' Torres said. "Not every day that I'm at the pool, but he has been there the best that he has been able to.

"But he said that he doesn't care what the doctors say, that he is getting on an airplane ... and going to nationals. So that is what he is planning on doing, but he definitely is still having his ups and downs."

The fact that Torres is back in the pool swimming competitively is a surprise to some who thought her storybook career would come to end after the Beijing Games.

She earned at least one medal in all five Olympics in which she competed, and she has a total of 12 Olympic medals (four gold, four silver, and four bronze) in all.

"I really thought I was done in Beijing," Torres said. "Usually after the Olympics I'm kind of burned out and just ready to move on, but I wasn't burned out. I have such a love for the sport."

Some might have speculated that Torres was headed for retirement when she took time out to write a book about her swimming career and then traveled around the country to promote it.

The book, titled "Age is Just a Number," is a motivational memoir about staying fit, aging gracefully, and pursuing your dreams.

"What I've been realizing since my book has been out is that it's not just older people who are athletes realizing that age is just a number," Torres said. "It's been kind of a cool thing to experience with these people coming up to me and telling me their stories. It's really been a rewarding experience."

Torres admitted that the idea of qualifying for the world championships, which will take place later this month in Rome, was a big incentive for her to return to competitive swimming.

"I just decided to get back and swim just for exercise,'' Torres said. "After about a week of that I was like, 'Forget it. I'm just going to go for Rome.'  It's a great city, and I've actually only been to one world championships out of my whole swimming career back in 1986. It's not a meet that I've been to a lot so that was kind of enticing."

While she appears committed to swim through this summer, one wonders whether she will attempt to come back after the knee surgery to pursue a possible sixth Olympic Games in 2012.

"The knee is the most important thing because it hurts on days just to walk up and down stairs. I need my everyday life back where I'm not in pain all the time so that's my number one priority to get that fixed," she said. "If I still have that love for the sport which I do right now and if I feel like I'm still on top of my game then I'll probably continue."

Clearly a sixth Olympics is far off in the distance for Torres, who is content to focus on this week's U.S. Championships.

"I know that I'm just going to go out there and do my best and have fun."

Story courtesy Red Line Editorial, Inc. Matt Thomas is a freelance contributor for teamusa.org. This story was not subject to the approval of the United States Olympic Committee or any National Governing Bodies.