Kayaker Aimee Fisher was all set to compete at the Tokyo Olympics, that was until she suddenly quit the high-performance programme following well publicised culture issues.
Watching from home, was tough.
“Definitely at times felt like I was missing out but at the end of the day I made a decision that I believe was right for me and I just ran with it.”
She left the Canoe Racing NZ programme in 2020 to follow a “different training philosophy”.
Fisher is now paddling with the North Shore Canoe Club and predominantly coaching herself something that’s been a real learning curve.
“It's definitely been challenging at times stepping into that space of trying to understand the science behind the programming and things.
“I had some great times in high performance sport and I learnt so much but I’ve learnt even more being outside of that space and leading my own programme.”
So far it seems to be working, the 27-year-old winning the K1 500m at the 2021 World Championships in September.
She wants to back it up at this year’s event but this time around she’ll have to beat Dame Lisa Carrington to do it, a best of three series that’ll start at next month’s nationals with the current world champion and Olympic champion battling it out.
“It is going to be intense, it's going to be a clash of the titans,” Fisher says.
It’s just another challenge for the elite paddler who believes sport is about living outside your comfort zone.
“Day in day out you're confronted by all your fears all your insecurities, there's nowhere to hide. You get stretched in every single direction and that's where the good stuff happens, that's where the gold is formed and right now this is where I need to be.”
While Fisher admits she does miss training with elite paddlers like Carrington and Caitlin Regal she finds extra motivation in giving back to her kayak community and the up and comers.
“I think it makes me faster. I feel a lot of responsibility to the people around me and that helps me rise to the occasion and to the pressure.”
That pressure set to build over the next month with the Nationals showdown set for Anzac weekend.
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