Olympian Dara Torres shares how understanding her asthma helped her compete confidently at the highest levels of elite sport.
As a world-class athlete, how did being diagnosed with asthma impact your training and your career?
I wasn’t diagnosed until later in my career; I was diagnosed after my third Olympic Games. It made more sense to me why I kept dying at the end of my races. I’m just glad I was diagnosed and able to get the proper medicine to really help me be pretty much even with everyone else as far as breathing goes.
Were there any particular strategies or tools that you used once you were diagnosed that helped you manage your asthma while competing at such an elite level?
I initially went to see a pulmonologist, and they put me on a daily spray. This was between the 1992 and 2000 Olympics, so it really wasn’t a big deal for me as far as training goes. However, when I decided to make a comeback for 2000, I was training at Stanford, and my coach had me go see an underwater pulmonologist who deals specifically with underwater athletes. He was able to put a regimen together that really benefited me and helped me. It was nice to have someone who understood — not just a regular pulmonologist, but someone who was working with this type of athlete.
Many people assume that asthma would hold someone back from peak physical activity. Do you have anything you would say to younger athletes who are navigating an asthma diagnosis?
It’s a matter of going to the right people and getting the help that you need. I think that I definitely was at a disadvantage, not knowing that I had asthma. Being able to get the proper diagnosis gave me the confidence that I can compete at the exact same level as everyone else.
Have you noticed any changes in your symptoms over time, and have you had to adapt your lifestyle or training accordingly?
I definitely had to adapt. I had to avoid people who smoked, and humidity was kind of tough sometimes — walking out in the humidity, and it just being hard to breathe. It was just a matter of figuring out what triggers it and what doesn’t. Some people have asthma and allergies. Mine was more climate-related. Also, chlorine definitely triggered a little bit of my asthma. Nowadays, I think pools are a lot different. You don’t have the chlorinated chemicals like we had when I was younger. But, you know, I think it’s just a matter of of just finding what triggers you have, and just knowing how to work around those.
You’ve inspired so many with your resilience. How has your asthma journey shaped the way you think about health and advocacy, and supporting others living with respiratory conditions?
I think it’s just a matter of doing the educational part of asthma and knowing what it entails and what you need to do to manage it. I think I’m a little more hypersensitive when it comes to respiratory issues and certain environments that can trigger it, and I make sure I have the proper medicines — I think that’s really important.
What I would say to people who have respiratory issues, whether you’re an athlete or not, is yes, it’s a bummer, and yes, you have to take daily medicines to keep it in check, but you can still live a 100% normal life. For me personally, being in a sport that is so aerobically demanding — where getting in a pool and swimming is almost harder than running — if someone can do that and still follow their dreams, you should be able to do the same, even while living with asthma.
