When it comes to opening up about mental health, few speak so eloquently than Kimberley Woods.

After a tough winter period, the Cheshunt slalom canoeist said she’s found her groove again and admitted that Paris 2024 is what kept her focused.

The 27-year-old, who first spoke candidly about her mental health battles in 2020, said she was amazed by the response and hopes more athletes feel they can do the same ahead of the Olympics next year.

“Having my eyes set on Paris helped keep me focused and going to training even when I didn’t want to,” she said.

“I’ve been very open and honest with my coaches and team because I know that is the step I need to do to make sure I don’t get any worse.

“I feel like I’m back in the swing of things now and I’m more excited for this season than I have been for any other season."

Woods is one of over 1,000 elite athletes on UK Sport’s National Lottery-funded World Class Programme, allowing her to train full time, have access to the world’s best coaches and benefit from pioneering medical support – this is vital for her pathway to the Paris 2024 Games.

Woods came fourth and ninth in the C1 and K1 events at the ICF World Championships in Augsburg last year but bagged a silver in the K1 extreme.

In June, she struck gold in the kayak cross at the ICF Canoe Slalom World Cup, an event which will make its Olympic debut next year in Paris.

She said: “Last year was quite a difficult year for me in terms of my performances.

“I was quite disappointed with how things were going and I wasn’t really hungry to be successful.

“I went to Australia and that was great and I came back and knew how long the winter was going to be and I did struggle a bit just trying to find the reason why I started.

“The key is also keeping open and honest with myself.”

With the Paris 2024 Olympics only one year away, the Games are set to inspire people and communities all across the country. Woods hopes that by sharing her story it will give others motivation to get involved into sport.

When the slalom star heads to Paris, the Tokyo Olympic finalist will be out to better her tenth-placed finish of 2021 with valuable experience under her belt.

And after Team GB athletes like Adam Peaty used their platforms to break taboos around mental health earlier this year, Woods reckons many more will opt to do the same in the buildup to the Games.

“We see Olympic athletes talking about it and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see even more talk about it in the lead up to and at the Paris Games,” she said. “To have that network is amazing.

“It’s important to see more and more athletes open up about it and show we’re not robotic.

“We’re athletes but we also have a human side and we face the same issues anyone else does.

“All I can do is express how I did and didn’t deal with things and hope someone can relate to some part of that journey and get the help they need.”

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