Never Say Never

These remarkable athletes prove that attitude trumps everything, no matter how steep the odds.

By Bob Knotts, et. al
From Reader's Digest
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Donald Miralle/Allsport/Getty Images
Dara Torres: The 41-year-old is competing for an Olympic spot against women half her age.
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Donald Arthur: "A family was willing to give me their loved one's heart," says the 63-year-old marathoner and transplant recipient.
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Steve Boyle
Brittany Blythe: Amputated legs didn't keep this 18-year-old from becoming a cheerleader. "She never let anything intimidate her," says a former teacher.
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Dara Tores swimming
Donald Miralle/Allsport/Getty Images
Dara Torres: The 41-year-old is competing for an Olympic spot against women half her age.
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One Swimmer's Historic Bid


A hard, cold rain sweeps over an outdoor pool at the Coral Springs Aquatic Complex in South Florida, driving bystanders to huddle under an awning.

In the pool, Dara Torres keeps swimming. Lap after methodical lap, flip turn after flip turn, she cuts through her lane with a muscular freestyle. And when lifeguards sound a lightning alarm, warning the swimmers out of the pool, she persists, refusing to be deterred even as the storm builds.


At 41, nearly twice the age of most world-class athletes in her sport, Torres has defied more than just weather in her historic bid to become the first over-40 swimmer to compete in the Olympic Games. She's also ignored conventional wisdom and the dismissive comments of other athletes.

"Some competitors of mine say I'm too old," says Torres, a four-time Olympian who's won four gold medals and is the mother of a two-year-old girl. "Someone was quoted saying, 'I don't know why she's still swimming. She should be staying home taking care of her kid.' As long as I'm swimming as fast as they are, what's the problem?"

Actually, she's swimming faster. The Olympic trials begin on June 29, and Torres is currently the fastest American woman in her event: the 50-meter freestyle.

"You shouldn't put an age on your dreams," she says. "People need to try, not say, 'I can't do this because I'm too old.' "
-By Robert Spencer Knotts

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SO excited to see her swim this weekend!

By hamtech, on 08/14/2008
Simply motivating and inspiring to any competitive swimmer. Dara is right, as long as she's swimming the fastest, why not! I always believe that success is always in one's hands. Dreams make it a vision, hardwork makes it a reality!

By lynnmax, on 06/04/2008
As a swimmer, I have always idolized Dara Torres. If you can do it, do it, no matter what your age. It'll be only that much sweeter when she wins.

By LizLou, on 06/04/2008
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