Dara Torres: 1967—: Olympic Swimmer, Model, TV Reporter and Announcer

At 17 years old Torres was already 5' 10.5". She amazed Coach Marck Schubert of the Mission Viejo swim club with off-the-gun weight shifts, instant reflexes, and fast twitch muscle response, which biopsies the previous year compared with similar reactive tissue in Olympic diver Greg Louganis. She battled bulimia during regular swim meets and still took a first place in the Olympics 400-meter freestyle relay at the 1984 Los Angeles Games. Three years later, at the Pan Pacific Championships, she garnered a sweet reward for hard work—three golds in the 100-and 400-meter freestyle and the 400-meter relay. In 1988, she won bronze for the 400-meter freestyle relay and silver for the 400-meter medley.

While completing a bachelor's degree in broadcasting and communications at the University of Florida, Torres managed to garner 28 All-America honors for athletic achievement. In 1990 following several years of therapy she finally defeated her eating disorder. At the 1992 Barcelona Olympics she won gold once more in the 400-meter free relay and retired, contented with an additional first place, bringing her total of Olympic medals to six.

In 1993 Torres was diagnosed with chronic asthma, which she controlled with daily doses of inhalant drugs. Undeterred, she did not venture far from the sports realm. Work as sports commentator and reporter for ESPN, TNT, Fox News, and Fox Sports and as sports research assistant at NBC introduced her to different career goals. She branched out by hosting science and technology programs for the Discovery Channel, fashion modeling, and emceeing tae-bo workout tapes.