Ron Karnaugh, at 30 the oldest male swimmer in the meet, won the 200 individual medley in 2:03.43.

Many older swimmers are staying in the sport now because United States Swimming, the national governing body, is subsidizing their training.

Many of the older swimmers will probably retire this fall, after the Olympics.

These deficiencies are also major obstacles that discourage older swimmers from participating on swim teams on the varsity level.

At 33, Torres became the oldest female swimmer in history to win a gold medal.

Pursley likes having the older swimmers, but remains concerned about the lack of stars flourishing in college programs.

Last week, the 16-year old swimmer capped a phenomenal season by winning an Olympic Festival gold medal in the 100-meter breast-stroke.

Roughly 500 clubs nationwide offer coached workouts, including interval training, for swimmers 18 and older.

In addition, older swimmers can turn back the clock and get faster by learning to be more efficient.