It was the fourth-best time in the world this year, and it was good enough for Darra Torres ,41-years-old, to win the 50 meter freestyle race in Indianan at the U.S. national championships.

Her time of of 24.43 seconds was about a half second behind the world record of 23.96, which is currently held by Marleen Veldhui of the Netherlands.

Torres was fighting an nagging knee problem, but when it counted she rose to the challenge to win a slot for the up coming world championships in Rome.

The adrenaline is kicking in, so I don' t think about the knee that much," Torres said. "I just try to push it out of my head. Age is just a number, right? Everything I do is for Tessa. She enjoys coming out and watching me swim." 

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