Dara Torres continues to defy age and expectations when it comes to her performance in the pool.

The 42-year-old swimmer and 28-time U.S. championship winner on Thursday won her 16th national title in the 50-free swim, finishing the competition in 24.43 seconds, and beating two other female swimmers half her age. That gives her a spot on the world championship team, which will compete in Rome later this month. Torres blew many 20-something swimmers out of the water in last year’s Beijing Olympics.

“I guess I don’t think about the age thing,” Torres said yesterday, “until I get out of the pool and start limping.”

Despite the fact Torres has a body many of us could only dream about having, it’s starting to give her a run for her money. She had surgeries on her right shoulder, left thumb and left knee, and she’ll have another knee surgery later this year. Torres has a packed schedule, which includes spending as much time as possible with her three-year-old daughter, Tessa, as well as various speaking engagements and sponsor commitments. USA Today notes that moments after she climbed out of the pool Thursday, she was asked over the loudspeaker system what toll competitive swimming at 42 is taking on her body.

She repeated a phrase that became her mantra: “Age is just a number, right?”

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