41-year-old swimmer wins for performance in Beijing, support of Masters swimming

Usain Bolt's wins at the Beijing Olympics in the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes electrified the world. Michael Phelps' quest for eight gold medals in eight races mesmerized an international audience for a week. But for Masters athletes, the story of the Games was swimmer Dara Torres' three silver medals.

The 41-year-old, competing in her fifth Olympics against athletes young enough to be her children, placed second in the 50-meter freestyle by 0.01 seconds, the slimmest of margins. Torres, the mother of a toddler, also helped the United States take silvers in the 4x100-meter freestyle and the 4x100-meter medley.

In front of all the world, Torres' performance demonstrated that age isn't the barrier we've been brought up to think it is. And for doing that with grace and humility and strength, Dara Torres is the Euflexxa Masters Athlete of the Year for 2008.

Yes, Torres is an Olympian, and she competed on the world's biggest athletic stage. But she is also a Masters athlete in the truest sense of the word. Not just because of her age, but because of her support of the movement. Torres has competed as a Masters swimmer in the past, most prominently in the FINA Masters World Championships in 2006.

"Everyone at [the] Masters World Championships urged me to do it again," she told USA Swimming, "but if I were going to spend more time in the water and incur more need for massage therapists and other people to help me do it, I needed to do it for a bigger reason. I'm doing it this time for my daughter -- to leave her something special to look back on when she's older."

Torres also gave Masters athletes something special to think about as they get older. Her performance has been credited with creating a surge in attendance of Masters swimmers in the vicinity of Coral Springs, Fla., where Torres did some training. This award is our way of thanking her for showing a host of Masters athletes and potential Masters athletes what's possible at 41 and beyond.

Click on the names below to read about the 2008 Masters Athlete of the Year age group winners...

Women's 40-49 Masters Athlete of the Year: Carolyn Beckedorff, Wellesley, Mass.

Men's 40-49 Masters Athlete of the Year: Steve Tilford, Topeka, Kan.

Women's 50-59 Masters Athlete of the Year: Kathy Martin, Northport, N.Y.

Men's 50-59 Masters Athlete of the Year: James Payne, San Francisco

Women's 60-69 Masters Athlete of the Year: Shirley Harper, St. James, Barbados

Men's 60-69 Masters Athlete of the Year: John Hall, Anchorage, Alaska

Women's 70-79 Masters Athlete of the Year; Betsy Jordan, San Diego

Men's 70-79 Masters Athlete of the Year: Dave Bauer, Castle Rock, Colo.

Women's 80+ Masters Athlete of the Year: Marjorie Fitzgerald, La Habra, Calif.

Men's 80+ Masters Athlete of the Year: Orville Rogers, Dallas

Executive of the Year: Steve Johnson, Colorado Springs, Colo.