Dara Torres misses out on 6th Olympic team

OMAHA, Neb. – Dara Torres lingered in the water after the other swimmers had climbed out of the pool.

Her long career was finally over. She wanted to soak up the moment as long as possible.

The 45-year-old Torres came up short in her bid to make it to the Olympics for a sixth time. She finished fourth in the final of the 50-meter freestyle Monday night, her only event at the U.S. swimming trials.

“This is really over,” Torres said. “That’s it, I’m going to enjoy some time with my daughter, have a nice summer and cheer on the U.S. team.”

After winning three silver medals at the Beijing Olympics, Torres underwent radical knee surgery and put all her hopes into a chaotic dash from one end of the pool to the other. But Jessica Hardy won in 24.50 seconds, while Kara Lynn Joyce took the other Olympic spot in 24.73.

“Obviously I was hoping to make the team,” Torres said. “That was my goal and missing it by less than a tenth of a second is tough, but I don’t think there’s anything I could have changed.”

Torres was denied a trip to London by nine-hundredths of a second.