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The 15 biggest moments for women in the Summer Olympics

Since 1900, when women first began competing in the Olympic Games, there have been many unforgettable moments. 

7. Swimming sensation

Christinne Muschi / Reuters
Dana Torres smiles after winning her heat in the women's 100-meter freestyle at the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials in 2008.

  • By Laura Edwins Contributor

American swimmer Dana Torres won three silver medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and made an unprecedented achievement in Olympic swimming history. At age 41, Torres was the first woman over 40 to swim in the Olympics.

Her three silver medals were even more impressive considering she had sat out the 2004 Olympics. 

Torres has a long history of Olympic achievement. She has competed in five Olympiads; winning 12 medals overall, four of them gold. At the Sydney Games in 2000, at age 33, she was the oldest member of the US Swim Team. She took home five medals that year, two of them gold.

At the Beijing Games she swam as the anchor for the 4 by 100-meter medley relay team. In her portion of the relay Torres swam the fastest 100-meter freestyle split in relay history.

In 2009, she co-authored the book "Age is Just a Number: Achieve your Dreams at any Stage in Your Life."

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Mark Sappenfield
Editor

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