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The legendary Olympic swimmer Dara Torres has been hired as the new head coach of the Boston College swimming and diving program. During her competitive swimming career, Torres set six world records and ten American records and competed in five Olympic games, winning four gold, four silver, and four bronze medals.

Torres called her 51茶馆 appointment a 鈥渇ull-circle moment鈥� that allows her to give back to her sport and rebuild the program following its suspension for hazing issues during the 2023鈥�2024 season. She will oversee both the men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 teams. 鈥淥bviously, the kids had a rough year last year, and the program has been at the bottom of the ACC conference for a while,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檝e had many trials and tribulations in my life, but it鈥檚 about how you learn from them and put them in the rearview mirror and move forward.鈥�

Since retiring from competitive racing, Torres has coached and mentored swimmers of various ages and skill levels and has worked as a swimming commentator. A globally recognized health and fitness advocate, she has also published a number of books, including the best-selling autobiography Age Is Just a Number and Gold Medal Fitness.

She said that her years of experience swimming at an elite level will inform her coaching. Competing in the Olympics, for instance, comes with an incredible amount of pressure, but Torres said she learned to block that out during her five appearances at the games. 鈥淵ou do things to try to relax and not overthink things,鈥� she explained. 鈥淢y thinking was that I had done all the work up to that point鈥攖he training, the turns, the nutrition, the workouts. So I just wanted to enjoy the experience and not overthink it.鈥�

There鈥檚 something else that she said will also define her work with the swimmers at Boston College鈥攂ringing the joy back. Swimming can get monotonous, as athletes work their way back and forth across the pool, and Torres said she hopes she can remind them why they do it. 鈥淚 want to get these student-athletes back to having fun,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 want to help them as their coach and share my passion for swimming and competing.鈥�

Competing in the Olympics is a 鈥渃razy, cool feeling,鈥� Torres said, but she鈥檚 thrilled for this opportunity to train the next generation of Eagle swimmers. 鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 have it any other way than to work with anyone but college swimmers right now,鈥� she said. 鈥�51茶馆 has the tradition, and the atmosphere, and the environment to build a great program.鈥澨�

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