Meet Kimberley Woods, Paris 2024 Olympics bronze medal winning Team GB canoeist whose battled mental health issues
KIMBERLEY WOODS won Team GB their third gold medal of the Paris 2024 Olympic games with a brilliant showing in the slalom K1.
The 28-year-old star recently won the 2023 World Cup in Kayak Cross – the Olympics’ newest event.
Who is Kimberley Woods?
Kimberley Woods was born in Rugby on September 8, 1995.
She got into canoeing when she was younger and began competing at the international level in 2011.
Since her breakthrough, she has won 13 medals at the ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships with six golds.
The British slalom canoeist has also won 14 medals at the European Championships.
She qualified to represent Great Britain at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo in the Women’s K1 event where she finished in 10th place.
Woods’ most recent success is her victory at the World Cup in Kayak Cross last year.
Kayak Cross will debut for the first at the Olympics this summer.
Which will see canoeists for the time slalom race each other on the Olympic stage at the same time rather than a time trial.
Speaking on the new event Woods said: “Hectic. Absolutely hectic. That’s what I love so much about it – you never know what is going to happen.
“You will always have the favourites in the race and you know they are very strong contenders.
“But so many things can go wrong. So many things can happen, both in terms of your own plans and other paddlers intruding on them.”
Woods, who pursued canoeing from a young age after watching a video of her aunt – herself a world junior medallist revealed in 2020 that she had overcome depression and self-harm, which she linked to being bullied as a child.
Woods said: “Looking back you can probably track it to my childhood and being bullied, which led to low self-esteem and down the road depression and self-harming.
“It was a cycle, where I had paddling as my escape so when it was going well everything was fine, but if I had an injury and was left alone 24/7 then all of the emotions I’d bottled up would come out and it’d leave me very vulnerable.”
What's happening today at The Games?
WHAT TO WATCH TODAY...
THE PARIS 2024 Olympics started with a stunning Opening Ceremony – and now the Games really do begin.
SunSport brings you all the action taking place in the French capital on a thrilling first full day.
Adam Peaty will be the headline act for Team GB as he goes for gold in the final of the 100m breaststroke (8.50pm).
A lot of eyes will also be on LeBron James, Stephen Curry and the Team USA men’s basketball team, who start their campaign against Nikola Jokic and Serbia (11.15am ET / 4.15pm BST).
There are not expected to be too many other British medal tilts on Sunday, but the women’s gymnastics team (all day) are going through qualification as are the rowing teams (from 8am).
The both the men’s (vs South Africa, 7.15pm) and women’s hockey teams (vs Spain 12.15pm) are both in action.
American swimming stars Carson Foster and Tori Huske are among a multitude of stars joining Adam Peaty in the pool from around 7pm BST / 2pm ET.
Click here for all the events taking place at Paris 2024 today.
Follow all the action as it unfolds with our Paris 2024 Olympics LIVE blog.
Will Kimberley Woods be competing in the Paris Olympics?
Yes, Woods will be competing in the Paris Olympics in two events.
She represented Team GB in the Slalom K1 – as she did in 2021 when she finished 10th.
But Woods enjoyed a stunning performance in Paris, finishing third-fastest in the semi-final and then repeating that feat to take home a bronze medal.
Woods had to hold her breath with fastest qualifier Ricarda Funk looking on course for a gold before a penalty cost her 50 seconds and any chance of a medal.
Woods claimed bronze with a time of 98.94 at the National Olympic Nautical Stadium.
Australian Jessica Fox won gold ahead of Polish athlete Klaudia Zwolinska.
Woods also has another chance to get a medal in the kayak cross, where she is among the favourites.
When will Kimberley Woods be competing in the Paris Olympics?
The Games officially kicked off on Friday, July 26 and culminates on Sunday, August 11.
The Canoe Slalom took place on Saturday, July 27.
The K1 is lined up first, followed by C1 and then the Kayak Cross.
The final for Kayak Cross will commence on Monday, August 5.