Kimberley WOODS (GBR)

kimbo

Woods, representing Team GB for the second time at Paris 2024, won the women's K1 bronze medal. Later, as kayak cross made its Olympic debut in the French capital, she won another bronze. She has a Bachelor of Science Honors in Sports Studies from the University of Hertfordshire and is a mental health champion.

I live in Cheshunt and train at the Lee Valley White Water Centre

Athlete

I completed BSc (Hons); (Bachelor of Science, Honors), Sports Studies at the University of Hertfordshire in 2017

2004 I joined Rugby Canoe Club and a year later I started competing in slalom

I watched a recording of my auntie Diane Woods, winning a silver medal at the 1994 Wausau, Wisconsin, Junior Worlds and I wanted to beat that result. So as soon as I could swim my grandparents took me to the local club who did pool sessions at the swimming pool and I got in a boat and I did not want to get back out! I kept coming back week after week improving my flat water skills in warm water before getting out onto the local lake in the cold but still came back for more and I decided to go to one of the small winter races and I won the race but I liked that I was succeeding and I wanted to succeed even further in the sport so I have been doing it ever since

watching my many favourite programs, making videos, play with our house cats!

White Water Rafting

Rugby Canoe Club

Craig Morris

British

2012

Train everyday apart from Sundays on Lee Valley, with gym every other day, which include prehab and rehab exercises with planning the training around my university schedule. 

2012

Germany

European Championships

Augsburg

Winning Prague World Cup 1 in 2017 in C1 after winning the last world cup of the season in Tacen 2016 and then the Senior Europeans in 2017. With this I also won my first senior K1 medal (Silver) and my boyfriend came and watched me race for the first time away from home.

My grandparents are both very influential to me as they were the ones who got me into the sport, drove me everywhere, coached me, bought all my equipment and set me the values that I still have today.

Mallory Franklin, Jasmine Royle, Eilidh Gibson

Jessica Fox - she is the most successful woman in the sport and my idol, my friend and she is one of the nicest person in sport. To see her grow from a 17 year old (2012) at my first world championships in Wausau, Wisconsin, to a 24 year old winning both C1 and K1 at the World Championships in Rio. I hope to be competing alongside her for years to come :)

the tag on the big always on the left, self-talk on the start line

never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game

I love to paddle at Prague because although the water isn't the cleanest or the biggest, I love how the water works and how it flows and also the options of courses you can create on it. I had also won my first K1 Senior medal here alongside winning the C1 event the same weekend.

Maltesers, Chicken Dumplings

The Greatest Showman

Main ambition to win Gold at the Olympic Games; Win gold at the world championships; be consistently on the podium in both K1 and C1.

CWS Young Sports Woman of the Year 2012/13, top 10 BBC Young Sports Personality 2012/13, Rugby Canoe Club Ambassador 2015, British Canoeing Women's Paddling Ambassador 2018

Olympics: Bronze - 2; World Championships: Gold - 6, Silver - 3, Bronze - 4.

Diane Woods Junior GB Team, Silver medal Junior Worlds 1994, Wausau

White Water Rafting