Torres, Hanson on way back

Two former Olympians, Dara Torres and Brendon Hanson, continued their pursuit of the 2012 US Olympic team with impressive swims in the Long Course Winter Nationals held recently in Atlanta.

Torres, age 44, qualified fourth in the 50-meter free (25.4) and then stroked a 25.2 in the finals to finish second behind Jess Hardy’s 25.08. Torres is the long-course record holder at 24.2. Torres has won 12 Olympic medals competing in the 1984, 1988, 1992, 2000 and 2008 Olympics.

Hanson, 30, retired four years ago after the Olympics. At the Long Course Nationals, the breaststroker won both the 200-meter breaststroke (2:09.6) and the 100 breaststroke (1:00.3). Hanson is the former world record holder in the 100- and 200-meter breaststroke.