Despite a prolapsed disc prematurely ending her career as a rower, para-cyclist Anna Taylor is making a name for herself after just 12 months in the sport.
Having already beaten thyroid cancer, Taylor returned to New Zealand from an American university rowing scholarship to recover from hip surgery.
It was then though, that her life would change forever, a severe prolapsed disc squashing her spinal cord and ending any hope of a representative career in the boat.
With the drive of an elite athlete still burning though, Taylor turned to the bike, adjusting to her new form of competing.
"When you're on the bike as a rower it's because you're injured or you're not in a boat," Taylor told 1 NEWS.
"It's more of a punishment.
"My legs are weaker than they used to be and they don't fire like the used to."
Now, Taylor's biggest problem lies in doing too much, making sure she doesn't overdo it.
"She'll want to push and she will be doing everything she can to deliver what she's capable of," coach Damian Wiseman says.
Undeterred though, Taylor's rise has been remarkable, and later this month she'll don the silver fern at the Para-Cycling World Championships in the Netherlands - just the latest step on Anna Taylor's remarkable journey as an athlete.
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