Filed under: Women's Sports , ESPN , PEDs , USA The 41-year-old American swimmer Dara Torres won the 100-meter freestyle at the U.S. Olympic trials, and she credited her training regimen for her success at such an advanced age. But ESPN.com's Pat Forde is not convinced . Forde thinks that the simplest explanation for a super-human athletic performance is that the athlete is using performance-enhancing drugs. He quotes Torres saying, "Anyone who makes any accusations, I see it as a compliment," and writes that she should "take this column as one long compliment." The meat of Forde's argument is this: It shouldn't even be possible for a woman in her 40s. Which is the sticking point. This is all unprecedented -- and after years of being conned, we've become conditioned to question the unprecedented. Who swims this well at that age? After having a child? Nobody. Ever. Who takes six years off and comes back better than ever, lowering her best time in the 100 meters from 54.43 seconds in 2000 to 53.78 Friday night? Nobody. Ever. Who has shoulder and knee surgery and comes back to whip women half her age less than a year later? Nobody. Ever. Of course, for as long as sports have existed, we've been marveling at achievements that nobody ever accomplished before. Now we seem to have reached the point where instead of marveling, we scoff. Permalink | Email this | Comments ...
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Filed under: Women's Sports , ESPN , PEDs , USA The 41-year-old American swimmer Dara Torres won the 100-meter freestyle at the U.S. Olympic trials, and she credited her training regimen for her success at such an advanced age. But ESPN.com's Pat Forde is not convinced . Forde thinks that the simplest explanation for a super-human athletic performance is that the athlete is using performance-enhancing drugs. He quotes Torres saying, "Anyone who makes any accusations, I see it as a compliment," and writes that she should "take this column as one long compliment." The meat of Forde's argument is this: It shouldn't even be possible for a woman in her 40s. Which is the sticking point. This is all unprecedented -- and after years of being conned, we've become conditioned to question the unprecedented. Who swims this well at that age? After having a child? Nobody. Ever. Who takes six years off and comes back better than ever, lowering her best time in the 100 meters from 54.43 seconds in 2000 to 53.78 Friday night? Nobody. Ever. Who has shoulder and knee surgery and comes back to whip women half her age less than a year later? Nobody. Ever. Of course, for as long as sports have existed, we've been marveling at achievements that nobody ever accomplished before. Now we seem to have reached the point where instead of marveling, we scoff. Permalink | Email this | Comments ...