We are catching up (briefly) with Kimberley Woods British Canoeing Slalom athlete, in her busy schedule before heading off to Tokyo to represent Great Britain in the Olympic Games.
Kimberley is a Jaffa brand ambassador and we have been following her journey for a year now. We first met Kimberley in 2019 and chatted to her about her journey into canoeing, her training and ambitions, and we are very fortunate to have been working with her and seeing her progress in the sport despite the limitations put upon us all in the last 18 months.
For fun we have been setting Kimberley some Tasks To Tokyo challenges which you can catch up with on our YouTube channel, but in a more serious moment we talked to her about the Olympics and how she is feeling.
With the Tokyo Olympics (finally) imminent, what are you most excited about?
I am excited to just get out there! To be traveling in the Team GB Kit and be paddling an incredible course will be a privilege. I am also super excited to see the Team GB block in the Olympic Village, all the touches from home will be amazing to see.
Who do you admire most in the sport?
There are a lot of people I look up to in the sport. Joe Clarke (GB), Jess Fox (AUS), Ricarda Funk (GER), Peter Kauzer (SLO), all of whom are at the top of the sport and continue to inspire me everyday that I paddle.
If you could attend one other Olympic event what would it be and why?
I would love to watch the gymnastics events if I could. When I went to Rio on the Ambition Program I was in a group with 4 gymnasts, and 3 of them are going to their first Olympic games in Tokyo, just like myself and Bradley Forbes-Cryans. So it’s super cool that we are all on the same journey together.
How will your nutrition alter during and post the Olympics to compliment training?
For a while now I have been really good with my nutrition, making sure I’m staying fit and healthy, so I will definitely be having a few treats when the Olympics are finished. However we have the World Championships in September so there won’t be too many treats as I will definitely look to keep healthy post Olympics.
What is the first thing you will do when you get home from Tokyo?
Unfortunately I will be self isolating when I get back, but the very first thing I will do is to go out for a meal with friends and go home to Rugby to see my family.
If you weren’t a canoeist what profession do you think you have been in?
I think something very creative. I love to create content and get more people interested and involved in my sport. I think I would definitely try and do something in media but I have always loved sport, so if not the media thing probably a PE teacher.
We are so excited for Kimberley Woods and hope you will be cheering her on at the Olympics! We can’t wait to see what she achieves and look forward to catching up with her again as she prepares for the World Championships in September 2021.
Good luck Kimberley!
