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Mama mia! Torres finds trade profitable
Dara Torres couldn’t beat them, or even challenge, so she joined them on Saturday, switching to a polyurethane suit to secure her spot in the 50m freestyle semifinals at the swimming World Championships.
Dara Torres couldn’t beat them, or even challenge, so she joined them on Saturday, switching to a polyurethane suit to secure her spot in the 50m freestyle semifinals at the swimming World Championships.
Torres, who failed to make it out of the 50m butterfly heats, wasn’t taking any chances as she ditched her outdated Speedo LZR for a Jaked.
The 42-year-old swimming mum posted the seventh-fastest time in the 50m free heats, which were led by Australian 17-year-old Cate Campbell in a championship record 24.24sec.
“Obviously, my sponsor is Speedo,” Torres said. “Everyone here is wearing these suits and they seem to be going fast. The times are kind of outrageous.”
Torres turned back the clock at the Beijing Games, winning three silver medals in her fifth Olympics, but is swimming in just her second World Championships.
As luck would have it, she returned to the world meet in a year when high-tech super-suits have exploded the form-book, fueling a wave of 35 world records with two days of competition left.
The suits are to be banned in 2010, but with records falling right and left Torres decided not to wait.
“I just feel if you want to be on a par with everyone, you’ve got to do what they’re doing,” she said after posting a 24.67sec in the heats.
Australian Kate Campbell has set a meet record in the heats for the 50-meter freestyle at the world championships. The 17-year old set a time of 24.24, outperforming world-record holder Marleen Veldhuis of the Netherlands.
Campbell was followed into the semis by Sweden’s Therese Alshammar, American Amanda Weir, world record-holder Marleen Veldhuis of the Netherlands and 100m free world record-holder Britta Steffen of Germany.
American women out of medley relay final
An understrength United States failed to qualify for the final of the women’s 4x100 metres medley relay at the world swimming championships on Saturday.
