Take Daniel Collins. The 2,000m that secured his remarkable gold medal at the Irish Indoor Rowing Championships in Limerick in January took him precisely 6 minutes, 27.2 seconds to complete: yet it represents a personal journey of more than 20 years and one no medal - regardless of colour - could ever adequately express. But Daniel's victory wasn't just remarkable because it arrived less than six months after the 39-year old found himself fortuitously perched upon a rowing machine gazing at a gym television as Ireland's Paul O'Donovan and Fintan McCarthy won gold at the Paris Olympics in August 2024. It wasn't even the fact that before that fateful Friday in Templemore Sports Complex Daniel had never rowed before. NOR was it the fact that he followed his gold medal up less than a month later by flying the flag for City of Derry Boating Club and Ireland in the Men's Open 2,000m Continental (Europe/Africa) heats of the World Rowing Indoor Championships where he ranked 61st out of about 360 qualifiers globally with a new PB of 6:26.9, just three seconds off the top 50 and a place in a world semi-final. No, what made Daniel's 2,000m unique was what it represented to the Newtowncunningham native and former St. Columb's College student after years of battling a crippling eating disorder linked to body dysmorphia, a condition that saw 6' 1" Daniel's weight drop to less than 10 stone during some "dark" periods. "I was kind of chubby in my early teens and I was always conscious of it," explains Daniel, "Growing up I was always very aware of my weight and always trying to conceal it. "I struggled with body confidence and was publicly mocked in front of peers on two particularly humiliating occasions in my early and mid-teens for being 'flabby' and 'having tits' as they put it. It all reinforced my insecurities. I was thinking, 'I'm fat and everyone can see it.'" Daniel's plight was complicated further by gender stereotypes which lead many to associate eating disorders solely with females. And while statistically there are more females recorded as being treated, growing evidence suggests that males now account for between 10% and 25% of all local eating disorder cases. "I remember when I first moved away from home in 2004 and then came back for the summer in 2005. I'd lost so much weight that my mum got me straight to a psychiatrist because she was so shocked," adds Daniel, "But all the material I was given at the time was geared toward females which made me feel even more abnormal." With so much pressure on resources locally, Daniel says he was one of the lucky ones when he was referred to the Western Health Trust's Eating Disorder Service at Oldbridge House on Derry's Glendermott Road. He was treated there between March 2017 and April 2021 for 'disordered eating', the term used to describe Daniel's cycles of under-eating then binge eating which were accompanied by extreme weight fluctuations. The condition is driven by body dysmorphia, which also contributes to social anxiety and depression. "I was with the Eating Disorder Service (EDS) for the guts of two years overall, across two lengthy enough periods. I would have gone through spells of seriously under eating. I'd have been trying to eat as little as I could and then overdoing cardio training and that's not sustainable. "I remember I couldn't wait to move away from home when I was younger so I could have more control over what and how much I was eating. Essentially, my thing was I wanted to be as lean as possible and not have any fat at all on me. "That played out with me not eating, which of course is not sustainable. I would get insatiable cravings. I remember having a BMX and heading out to cycle around for hours just to burn calories but it wasn't proper exercise. These periods of starving myself would've been followed by, well, there comes a point when you break and you can't sustain it so I'd then start periods of binge eating. "That would have been in my early 30s but insecurities over body image were something I've had for as long as I can remember, even in my teens. My weight would fluctuate wildly. I could put on two or three stone in the space of a month or two, just crazy stuff. I was yo-yoing from one extreme to the other. "With taking up the weights that allowed me to enjoy food a bit more but also to feel happier in my own body. That was the reason I took up strength and conditioning. Coming to trust the process of eating more and building muscle, without fear of the food all turning to fat, has been a gradual development, but it also helped me find the discipline that has stood to me. "I was in a very dark place a few years ago and when I think back to it, it's what I use to motivate myself and drive myself forward now; to say to myself I'm not going back to that place. That's what I’m rowing away from so to speak." Central to Daniel's journey has been the support from his personal trainer, Damien Melaugh of Fortis Training Systems, whom he reached out to in January 2019 to help complement the support he had received from the EDS. Indeed Damien's influence has been so critical that Daniel is now training to become a personal trainer himself. "Dee has played a pivotal role in my journey. I was initially intimidated by the idea of walking into a gym, but I'll be forever grateful to him. No journey like this is ever perfect or without blips though, and mine certainly hasn't been. "I fell off track after getting the 'flu in November 2019, leading to binge eating, weight gain and loss of motivation, so much so that I stopped going to gym. "Then the COVID lockdown struck in early 2020 which hit hard and I ended up being re-referred to the Eating Disorder Service from March 2020 to April 2021 but with their help and that of my friends and family, I resumed home workouts, returning to Dee's gym when lockdown ended, and gradually regained control of my eating again. "My dedication to Dee’s programme meant I developed an excellent base level of fitness and strength that has been central to the transition to rowing." So back to that fateful Friday in Templemore and the 'Eureka' moment that brought Derry a new Irish rowing champion. "I'd never rowed a day in my life," smiles Daniel at the memory of how he got started with a sport he now loves. "I was on the rowing machine, working out and enjoying the Olympics and thought, 'Sure I'll give the 2,000m a go'. That's the Olympic distance and I'd been watching it on the television. I didn't even clock it properly but the time was about 7mins and 5 secs or thereabouts. I enjoyed it and got in touch with City of Derry Boating Club to find out what sort of time that was and ask if they had any taster sessions on the Foyle. I was just curious. "They were great, especially my coach Mairéad Nic Bhloscaidh whom I owe so much to. She told me it was a great time for someone with no formal rowing training and really encouraged me, so I started with them in September (2024). "Mairéad has been an immense support, from assisting me with my training programmes to coxing me through races, helping to settle my nerves, shed any imposter syndrome and keep me on track. I'd probably row through hell if she asked me to!" And just three months after formally joining the club last November, Daniel is sitting with a gold medal won in the Men's 30-39 2,000m at the Irish Indoor Championships, a sixth place finish in the Men's Open 500m with a PB of 1:26.1 and the very realistic goal qualifying for next year's World 2,000m final. "Winning a gold medal nationally and representing my country internationally are two of my proudest achievements and show just how far I've come since the dark days of the eating disorder service when I felt in a rut. I'd have thought such achievements were impossible only a few years ago. "It felt amazing to have my entire family in Limerick to cheer me over the line and share a very special moment with me. They’ve been so supportive over the years, devoting the time to understanding my issues better, and I was just so over the moon to have done them all so proud. Tears were shed. I couldn't have done it without their support. "Hopefully all this can show others it's never too late to rewrite your story. For anyone struggling with similar issues, I can only say that the situation isn't hopeless. There's support available and light at the end of the tunnel, so keep fighting. Your later self will thank you for it. "Along with a bit of support, your own determination and consistency can lead to incredible achievements, even starting like I did in your mid-30s." Makes you think doesn’t it, what could you do with your own 2,000m?