Torres pulls off a swim for the ages

INDIANAPOLIS -- To understand Dara Torres’ most recent accomplishment -- if that’s possible -- consider the time between her first national swimming title and her last one.

Title No. 1 came in 1982 at spring swimming nationals when she was 14. Her 15th national title was Saturday at age 40, and she held her 15-month-old daughter Tessa on her lap when she spoke with reporters about her American-record swim in the 50-meter freestyle, in 24.53 seconds.

So, who held the previous mark?

Indeed, Torres, at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. She finished in 24.63 that day and it stood until this next step along the “comeback” road at the USA Swimming National Championships at the Natatorium.

She was able to grab some of the spotlight that usually belongs to Michael Phelps, who again flirted with the world record in the 100 backstroke in the opening leg of the medley relay.

“It’s an incredible feeling. For me, it’s an honor to be out here swimming with all these young kids and suiting up and racing against them,” Torres said. “It’s a lot of fun. I’m having as much fun as I did when I was 14 now that I’m 40.”

Her glee was evident when she touched first. She raised her arm in the air and beamed when spotting the place and the time. Lara Jackson, 20, was second in 25.27.

In fact, Torres was hampered by a sore left shoulder and needed to take four pain relievers about 45 minutes before the race. That’s the one similarity she shares with most 40-something athletes, right?

Still, her swim in the preliminaries (24.91) gave her the sense something special was within reach.

“I had a goal after swimming this morning and it felt so easy to go for the American record,” she said.

Later, Torres went with the phrase, almost her mantra, saying: “Age is just a number.”

Her coach, Michael Lohberg, of the Coral Springs Swim Club, joked about it.

“She’s not really 40,” he said. “The passport says that, but that’s an error. Neither her body nor her mind are really that close to 40. She’s just a happy-go-lucky kid like everybody else.”

Her colleagues were suitably impressed.

“When I’m 40 years old, I will not be going that fast,” said world champion Benjamin Wildman-Tobriner, who won the men’s 50 in a personal-best 21.80, beating Cullen Jones’ 21.82.

The Torres swim was the lone American record of the meet. But Phelps put forth another determined effort in the opening leg of the relay and was under world-record pace at 50 and finished in 53.17.

He ended up swimming in six individual races (winning four) and was on two winning relays. Phelps looked a bit disappointed at coming so close again to Aaron Peirsol’s world-record mark of 52.98.

“I wanted to take it out fast in the 50,” Phelps said. “My stroke really isn’t how I need to do it for 100. That’s the goal of mine. And it kind of keeps me hungry. It’s almost good to have this tonight.”

--

lisa.dillman@latimes.com