SEC Network

The True Grit of Dara Torres.

‘Once Upon a Comeback’ a documentary feature explores the unyielding tenacity of Dara Torres, who at 41, 
defied all odds by winning an Olympic medal.
Part of SEC Network’s Storied documentaries, "Once Upon a Comeback,” tells the story of swimming sensation Dara Torres who pushed boundaries for both her gender and age, breaking records and forging new paths for women. However, underneath the success was a relentless mounting pressure to look a certain way. A star swimmer at the University of Florida, Torres won nine SEC individual championships, was named SEC Athlete of the Year in 1988 and earned 28 All-American swimming honors—the maximum possible during a college career—all while living with a severe eating disorder. 

Bulimic during her time at Florida, Torres speaks about this experience on-camera for the first time in-depth. Her journey is not uncommon, just rarely talked about, and highlights the dangers of competing at the highest levels and pushing the limits, both physically and psychologically. Torres would go on to win 12 Olympic medals over a 25-year span, participating in five Olympic Games. As a veteran swimmer and mother, her 2008 Olympic comeback is legendary, when at age 41, she became the oldest swimmer to win an Olympic medal. 

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