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Article: Athletes are breaking Olympic age barriers
- Article from:
- Concord Monitor
- Article date:
- August 19, 2008
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Copyright informationCopyright 2008 Concord Monitor. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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'The water doesn't know how old you are," says American swimmer
Dara Torres, who won a silver medal at age 41.
With eight gold medals American swimmer Michael Phelps broke a
record Mark Spitz set 36 years ago. Phelps, who won six gold medals
in the 2004 Olympics, now has 14, more than any other Olympian. His
eight first-place finishes in a single Olympics could, like Spitz's
record of seven golds, take a generation or more to beat. But as for
the 14 golds, that record will likely fall in 2012 when Phelps adds
to his hoard.
Phelps is just 23. If he competes until he is Torres's age, he
has four, maybe five Olympics in him. Athletic longevity is
admirable in an era where kids 7 or 8 years old ...