(Sports Network) - Dara Torres culminated her amazing push at the U.S. Olympic swimming trials by winning the 50-meter freestyle Sunday night. Torres won the race in 24.25 seconds, eclipsing her American record of 24.38 set the previous night in the semifinals.

Jessica Hardy (24.82) was second.

Also Sunday, Peter Vanderkaay rallied to win the 1,500-meter freestyle. Vanderkaay finished in a time of 14 minutes, 45.54 seconds, which was just .25 seconds away from an American record, held by Larsen Jensen.

Jensen was second Sunday in 14:50.80.

On Friday night, the 41-year-old Torres, mother of a two-year-old daughter, clinched a spot in her fifth Olympics by winning the 100-meter freestyle.

Torres said she would speak with Mark Schubert, head coach and general manager of the U.S. team, to decide if she'll drop the 100 from her Olympic program.

"I don't know what I'm going to do with that, but I'm definitely doing the 50," Torres said after the race.

It's been an incredible Olympic run for Torres, winner of nine medals, starting with a relay gold in 1984 in her current home city of Los Angeles, and most recently capturing four medals in 2000 -- this after coming out of a seven-year retirement.

Not only that, but last November Torres had surgery to remove a bone spur responsible for a partial rotator cuff tear in her right shoulder. She also had surgery on her knee in January.

After the Sunday's race was over, Torres revealed a secret to her successful training and key to staying in top swimming shape and her readiness for racing.

Torres says she takes fitness nutrition amino acids.

"It's one of the best products I've ever taken," Torres said, adding that her coach, Michael Lohberg, introduced her to it. "I feel like it's helped me gain muscle and helped with a speedy recovery. I guess I can talk about it because it's only five weeks to the Olympics and everybody can know my secret now."

Lohberg pointed to German swimmer Mark Warnecke, who medaled in the 1996 Olympics, as giving credit for developing the pure amino acids program personally.

"He developed this stuff for himself," Lohberg said. "Since he's an old friend of mine, my wife swam with him many, many years ago, he helped us out. He allowed us to use his product he originally made for himself, but then it spread out. So that helped her quite a bit, especially since she's not the youngest any more."

Hardy had previously clinched a spot on the Olympic team by winning the 100- meter breaststroke at the trials. She also earned a spot on the 400-meter freestyle relay team.

This will be the second Olympics for Vanderkaay, who had already qualified for Beijing in three other events (200 and 400 free, 800 relay).

"It does surprise me a little bit," Vanderkaay said of winning the 1,500. "This wasn't the event I trained for primarily, but I'll take it."

Jensen had earlier clinched a spot on the team thanks to winning the 400 freestyle.

Erik Vendt, who was favored to win the race, finished fourth, behind Chad La Tourette.

At the end of the eight-day event, in which more than 160,000 fans came to the Qwest Center, the crowd chanted "USA! USA!" as the Olympic swimming team was introduced just before the conclusion.

It was a week that produced nine world records and 12 American records.



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