Your parents will be kicking ass in Beijing
Swimmer Dara Torres is 41. Another 20 of this year's American athletes in Beijing are 40 or older. Topping the list is 58-year-old John Dane III, the president of a boutique yacht-building firm who'll represent the U.S. in Star-class sailboat racing. The shift in Olympian age range comes partly from better science and technology for sports training and injury recovery. But there's a money angle:
Eight years ago, the U.S. Olympic Committee began paying athletes directly up to $36,000 a year, plus healthcare. An Olympian's career no longer ends when he or she graduates college and needs to get a job. (Photo of Dara Torres by AP/Mark J. Terrill, John Dane III by Fried Elliott)