Making an Olympic debut aged 54 is some feat in itself, but for Brazilian trap shooter Janice Teixeira (picture) it surely comes second to confounding medics with a remarkable recovery from a stroke.

Teixeira suffered the scare at the 2008 Games while working as a TV commentator.

“I was taken to the hospital with the entire left side of my body paralysed. I couldn’t speak, couldn’t pronounce a word,” she said.

But 40 minutes later the Brazilian was showing no symptoms.

The oldest member of the Brazilian team, Teixeira said a team of doctors who reviewed her test results could not explain her recovery, other than her healthy lifestyle.

“I eat a lot of fruit and vegetables and I don’t eat anything fat. I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, and I have exercised since I was seven,” she said.

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