Kimberley Woods has had to fight for most things in her life and duly battled to an emotional K1 Olympic bronze.
The 28-year-old was left on tenterhooks when occupying the final podium place as reigning Olympic champion Ricarda Funk of Germany took to the course last.
Funk missed one of the last gates on the course to mean Woods kept bronze with a time of 98.94 seconds.
There was no disgrace in Woods finishing a full 2.86 seconds behind Australian flagbearer Jessica Fox, who is considered one of the greatest canoeists of all time and carried her nation’s flag at the Opening Ceremony.
Woods was inconsolable after finishing 10th in Tokyo and conducted post-race interviews in floods of tears.
This time she was left beaming and her stunning performance ensures that Team GB have won an Olympic medal in canoe slalom at each of the last six Olympic Games.
“Three years later, it’s just made every disappointing race worth it,” she said.
“It shows that I’ve got a lot of head strength! But also a lot of strength in my body.
“I’m really proud of who I’ve been this year, even in the last three years since Tokyo. I’m really proud of how I’ve gone about each race and it’s been about finishing as high as I can and crossing that finish line being proud of the run I put together.”
Woods only qualified for the semi-finals in 12th place, meaning most had written off her medal chances.
She lit the torch by posting the third-quickest time in qualifying for the final, becoming the first paddler to book a spot in the run-off for medals.
Woods was inspired to take up canoeing by her grandparents and her auntie Diane won silver at the World Junior Championships in 1994.
A sporty child, she was mercilessly bullied between the age of eight and 14 with bullies targeting her appearance.
That experience left scars and after an anterior cruciate ligament injury in 2015, Woods began self-harming and the destructive cycle was only addressed when a coach asked her: ‘are you okay?’
She was admitted to the Priory twice and experienced suicidal thoughts, harming herself as recently as 2021.
“The journey I’ve been on, that first moment of admitting that I do need help, that’s where I go back to. It’s okay to do that, it’s okay to seek out help with the people that are close to me,” she said.
“I’ve always been trying to be open with my coach of where I’m at because I see him more than anyone else in my family.
“I’m still getting help today, topping up the toolbox and making sure I still have the skills to deal with whatever the Games has but also whatever life has.
“I feel absolutely proud to represent Team GB and win this medal.”
Woods’ resilience is clear for all to see – she won a bronze medal a couple of days after being involved in a car accident at the 2021 World Championships, her only global gong to date in the K1 event.
She has only grown in stature in recent years and took C1 silver at last year’s World Championships at Lee Valley to become only the third woman in history to win three different world medals in three different disciplines.
Woods’ main chance at these Games was expected to be the kayak cross, in which she is reigning world champion. The harum-scarum event, in which boats are dropped from a ramp and fight it out on the same course to cross the line first, will make its Olympic debut in Paris with qualifying rounds beginning on 2 August.
Sportsbeat 2024