Britta Steffen of Germany has defeated 41-year-old Dara Torres by 0.01 seconds to win the women's 50-meter freestyle at the Beijing Olympics.
Steffen touched in 24.06 seconds Sunday, bettering the Olympic record of 24.13 by Inge de Bruijn of the Netherlands set eight years ago in Sydney. Steffen also won the 100 free.
Torres earned the silver in 24.07 for her 11th career medal in her fifth Olympics, a record for an American swimmer.
Cate Campbell, a 16-year-old Australian, took the bronze in 24.17.
Libby Trickett, the 100 silver medalist, was fourth in 24.25.
