It's a high five for Torres

She wins 100 free to make US team

AMANDA BEARD Qualifies for fourth US team (Jeff haynes/Reuters)

OMAHA - Only in swimming could they have a Fifth Coming, but Dara Torres defied the actuarial tables to make it happen at the Olympic trials last night, winning the 100-meter freestyle to earn her fifth trip to the Games at 41. "I'm ecstatic," proclaimed Torres, the mother of a 2-year-old daughter, who was the oldest woman to make the team when she did it in 2000 at 33. "I can't believe it."

By making the team along with Natalie Coughlin, the American record-holder, Torres also locked up relay spots in the 4 x 100 freestyle and 4 x 100 medley relays, both of which are virtually certain to win medals in Beijing.

Torres, whose time of 53.78 seconds would have won the gold medal at every Olympics, is also favored to win tomorrow's 50 free, in which she set the American record last year. If she earns four medals at the Games, she'll surpass Jenny Thompson for most career medals by a US swimmer with 13.

It was a night of stirring and unlikely comebacks as Amanda Beard made her fourth team in the 200 breaststroke and Gary Hall Jr. set himself up for a fourth team by making tonight's 50 free final.

"I died like a dog on the last 50, but it was worth it," confessed the 26-year-old Beard, who hung on to finish second to Rebecca Soni after missing the team in the 100 breast. "I left it all in the pool." Beard, who already has seven medals in her trophy case, including the Athens gold, has only been training seriously for a couple of months. "This is going to be a really, really different Olympics, because I didn't expect to make it," she said. "It's cool."

Hall, the two-time Olympic champion who is gunning for his fourth straight trials victory in the 50, qualified fourth in last night's semis in 21.94, just a 100th of a second off his winning time in Athens. "I've got a shot," he reckoned, "and I'm excited about it."

In yesterday morning's prelims, Cullen Jones (21.59) broke Hall's American record of 21.76, which had stood since 2000. "Everyone anticipated that that record was going down," said Hall. "Records don't last, especially these days."

Mansfield's Nick Brunelli, who just missed getting a relay spot in Thursday's 100 free, has another chance to make the team in the 50, which is his better event. Brunelli qualified fifth for the final, just five-100ths behind Hall.

Ryan Lochte pulled off a killer double last night, qualifying in two events just 29 minutes apart when he finished second in both the 200 backstroke and 200 individual medley. "I'm just out there racing and having fun," said Lochte, who'd already made the team in the 400 IM by placing second to Michael Phelps. "That's the sport." After pushing Aaron Peirsol to equal Lochte's world record in the 200 back (1:54.32), Lochte did the same to Phelps, forcing him to set a global record of 1:54.80.

"I just hit the wall in the IM," said Lochte, who still was less than half a second behind Phelps. "I felt like someone just kicked me in my stomach."

The 200 back, which Lochte lost by just two-100ths, was the race of the night, with the decision going down to the final stroke. "An incredible race," testified Peirsol, who'd won the 100 back in record time. "To be that close in the 200 . . . usually it's a 50. Things could have gone either way. I just got my hand on the wall. Happily, I have that knack."

By winning last night, Phelps made the team in his fourth individual event, having already pocketed spots in the 400 IM, 200 freestyle, and 200 butterfly, plus a place on the 800 freestyle relay. All that's left is tonight's 100 butterfly, where he'll be up against world record-holder Ian Crocker, the man he beat in Athens by four-100ths of a second. For Crocker, who was disqualified from the 100 free for false-starting in the prelims, it's his last chance to make the team. Phelps had the faster time - 51.10 to 51.52 - in last night's semis.

Elizabeth Beisel has an excellent chance to make the team in her second event tonight after posting the fastest time (2:07.78) in the 200 backstroke semis. The 15-year-old from Saunderstown, R.I., who represents Bluefish Swim Club in Attleboro, qualified behind Katie Hoff in the 400 IM.

Tonight's showdown between Hoff and Kate Ziegler in the 800 free could wipe off the oldest world record on the books - the 8:16.22 by Janet Evans in 1989. "The 800 free has history behind it, a lot of people gunning for it," said Hoff, who was barely half a second behind the world champion in yesterday's prelims. "That's why it'd be awesome to go after it. It's been there for so long, and Janet was such an amazing swimmer." Their seed times say it's possible - Ziegler's is 8:18.52, Hoff's 8:19.70.