CNN Excerpt

Dear all,

I was reading news on cnn online and i found this article to be intriguing.

This is the original text that i copy from cnn.com.

"Not even fierce weather, mountainous seas, and severe sleep deprivation could stop Dame Ellen MacArthur from setting the world record for sailing around the world solo in a mere 71 days. This physically and mentally grueling task was executed by the then 28-year-old from land-locked Derbyshire, who (had) discovered her passion for sailing before she even entered elementary school. Recently, Ellen has turned her attention to breaking records in the waters around Asia. This week she talks to Lorraine Hahn about her tenacious drive, how she the handles extended bouts of loneliness, and her experiences sailing in Asia".

1. Is the 'then' here implied when Damn E. did the world sailling thing she was only 28 and that she is older now?

2. The original text was without 'had'. Is it correct? Is 'had' acceptable here?

3. The words highlighted in green color, is it happened to be a typo which handles supposed to be, handler, or the 'the' is redundant. If this sentence is grammatically correct, could you explain why?

Thanks.