The Jewish-American Hall of Fame has inducted its first female sports star in 2020 -Olympic swimming champion Dara Torres. Torres competed in five Olympic Games,winning 12 medals. In her first Olympics, in 1984, she won a gold medal for the100-meter relay. She went on to compete in the 1988, 1992, 2000, and 2008 Olympics,winning five medals in 2000, more than anyone else on her team. In 2008, theoldest-ever Olympic swimmer at age 41 (having given birth only a year earlier), wontwo silver medals for 100-meter medley relay and 50-meter freestyle, breaking theAmerican freestyle record she had set at age fifteen.

Over the course of her career, Dara won four gold, four silver, and four bronze medalsat the Olympics and broke the American record speeds for 50-meter freestyle tentimes, more than any American swimmer in any event. Among multiple Olympicmedalists, Dara is in 15th place worldwide (including both men and women), in 4th placeamong Americans, in 2nd place among American women, and in 1st place among allJewish Americans.

Dara Torres entered her first international swimming competition at age 14. Over 20years later, at the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008, Dara became the oldest swimmer tocompete in the Olympic Games. When she took three silver medals home - includingthe 50-meter freestyle race where she missed the gold by a heartbreaking 1/100th of asecond.

Dara was the first female athlete ever to be featured in the Sports Illustrated SwimsuitIssue, and in 2009, won the ESPY award for "Best Comeback." To add to heraccolades, Dara was also named one of the "Top Female Athletes of the Decade" bySports Illustrated Magazine and, in 2019, she was inducted into the U.S. Olympic andParalympic Hall of Fame.

A top-selling author, Dara Torres' memoir, "Age is Just a Number: Achieve YourDreams at Any Stage in Your Life," was published in April, 2009 and was listed as oneof the top 25 best-selling business books later that year. Her second book, "Gold MedalFitness: A Revolutionary 5-Week Program" hit stands in May, 2010 and became a NewYork Times Best-Seller.

The non-profit Jewish-American Hall of Fame has issued a limited number of large 2-inch, 3 oz. high relief art medals honoring Olympic multi-medal winner, swimmer DaraTorres, which will be given to contributors: 105 bronze ($50), 60 pure silver ($200), and35 gold-plated pure silver ($250). Dara's likeness was created by the renownedAmerican sculptor Eugene Daub - using an interesting sculpting technique reminiscentof ancient Egyptian sunken reliefs - whereas a portion of the portrait is below thesurface and part of it is raised. Orders can be sent to JAHF, c/o Mel Wacks, 5189Jeffdale Ave., Woodland Hills, CA 91364 or call 818-225-1348; E-Sylum readers cantake 20% discount.

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
NEW BOOK: JEWISH-AMERICAN HALL OF FAME MEDALS(https://www.coinbooks.org/v23/esylum_v23n10a06.html)

For more information on the Jewish-American Hall of Fame, see:
http://www.amuseum.org/jahf/