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Riveting rivalries
Dara Torres vs.
Jenny Thompson
They finished 1-2 dozens of times between 1992 and 2004, but the race that best represents their rivalry ended in a tie for third. In the 100-meter freestyle swim at the 2000 Summer Olympics, Dara Torres (far right in photo) and Jenny Thompson both touched the wall in 54.43 seconds. After receiving their bronze medals, the two stood far apart on the podium, staring anywhere but at each other. They could barely share the same pool. Before the Sydney Games, Torres-Thompson practice sessions were so heated their coach had to separate them. That Olympic race was Thompson's last individual event. But in 2008, Torres, by then 41, snagged three more silvers as the oldest swimmer ever at the Games. Now, at 45, she's training for more. What's left to prove? Well, there is another tie with Thompson to break. Each woman owns 12 medals. A big finish in London would set Torres apart as the most decorated female swimmer in Olympic history.
