When Tunisian swimmer Leila Dachraoui was just 15 years old, she became the youngest gold medallist at the 1987 African Games when she swam in the winning 4 x 100m medley team. More medals followed, and she became the national champion in her age category in the 100m and 200m backstroke. Her future in swimming looked bright, but by the time she reached law college at the age of 18, without the support of her Federation, juggling her study schedule with swim training proved too challenging, and she was forced to quit swimming and focus on her education.

Twenty-seven years later, having carved out a successful career as a lawyer and university professor and after raising two grown-up daughters, Leila returned to the pool and was inspired to compete again. Proving it’s never too late to follow your passion, she became a double bronze medallist at the European Masters Championship and now, at the age of 50, continues to compete internationally.

Since we could all do with some inspiration, I dropped Leila a line to learn more about her swimming background and her Masters swimming success story.