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42-year-old Olympic winner Dara Torres

Ever dream of winning an Olympic medal? Did you ever think you could win one when you were 42 years old? Dara Torres believed in herself and did just that and brought her total Olympic medal count to 12.

Torres competed in the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing and became the oldest swimmer to medal at those games. Her years of sacrifice and extensive training obviously paid off, but Torres credited her miraculous win to something else: her daughter, Tessa.

I think the biggest difference was that I realized that swimming wasn’t the most important thing in my life, Torres said in an interview with Tampa Bay Online.

Her life has become more balanced: she no longer focuses exclusively on her rigorous training regimen. Instead, she splits her time between her new family and training for the athletic physique she had when she competed in the Olympics in the ’90s. 

Torres has chronicled her achievements in her new book Age is Just a Number.

However, Torres’ story isn’t just a fairy tale. She admits during her interview that she suffered from bulimia during her time in college.

She grew addicted to exercise, purged after meals, and was in a perpetually dark mood because she obsessed about food all the time, according to an article by the Chicago Tribune.

I still feel a little bit of that dark place, Torres said.

Torres admits that she now gives into her cravings -whatever they may be- to keep from reverting back to her old habits. She also discussed the steps she is going to take to ensure that her daughter doesn’t suffer from the same distorted body image that she did years ago.

I’m not going to be obsessive about things. If she wants a snack that’s maybe not the healthiest thing I’m OK with that. I make sure to give her the healthy stuff and to make sure she gets her milk in, her fruits and vegetables. It’s so hard at this age, because they are so picky what they’ll eat. … She’s so young, so I don’t know what to expect when she gets older. But I am going to make sure she has a very positive self-esteem and body image of herself. Torres

It’s nice to see someone excel against the odds, and overcome a disease that leaves so many crippled.

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