Dame Valerie Adams is months into life as a retired athlete but already people are wondering what the future holds.
"People go 'are you sure you're not going to make a comeback?' and I go 'no honey, all my muscles are pretty much [finished]'," she said in an exclusive 1News interview.
"I'm good, I really am good."
She's happy exercising for fun and watching the New Zealand High Performance Sport environment from a distance after more than two decades in the system.
It's a system that recently has been grappling with fresh concerns over gender bias and welfare issues highlighted by the report following cyclist Olivia Podmore's death.
"They want the medals, they want performances, meeting KPIs, etcetera," she said.
"It comes at a cost but it shouldn't cost more than some injuries, than a bit of sweat and a bit of training pain - it shouldn't go further than that."
Reading between the lines, no one should die.
The recent review highlighted issues Adams is all too familiar with, as the report used language like "gender bias, elite, exclusive, pakeha- and male-dominated" - words that didn't surprise the two-time Olympic champion.
READ MORE: Cycling NZ environment diminishes 'the mana of athletes' - report
"No secret - I've been in the system for such a long time and it's all I've seen for a long time."
Adams didn't just survive the system, she thrived in it, winning world and Olympic titles, but that's probably a testament to her strong will and no-nonsense attitude more than anything.
"I just happened to be big and ugly enough and have a very strong back to hold me up to stay in the system that long."
For Adams, Athletics NZ was a key support but she knows of athletes in other sports who struggle and said that hurts.
"There are so many changes that need to happen... but people need to be held accountable.
Watch Abby Wilson's story above for more from her exclusive interview.
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