A moment of reverence, please, for Dara Torres. The 41-year-old mother of daughter Tessa, 2, anchored the American women’s 400-meter freestyle relay team, which captured silver in the 2008 Summer Olympics early today. Torres was already the oldest Olympic female swimming medalist in history; now, she’s the oldest swimming medalist of either gender! (She’s also the first American swimmer to compete in five Olympics!) And did I mention she's a 41-year-old mother? I thought learning to salsa at my age (in my 40s…barely) would be daunting.

Torres broke the century-old record of Britain's William Robinson, who was 38 when he won the silver in the 200 breaststroke in the 1908 Games. Additionally, on the morning of the final, Torres had the second-fastest time, trailing only a 25-year-old from Australia. You are the woman!

Dara Torres will remain an inspiration for both men and women of all ages. Said Torres, "There are a lot of middle-aged men and women who I know that tell me that I'm an inspiration to them and they're now doing things they thought they couldn't do.”