“High Performance sport is dangerous. It’s dangerous to be in that limelight, you get addicted to it. Your identity is wrapped up in these things. It’s a golden window of your life and it won’t last forever.”

New Zealand Canoe sprint star Aimee Fisher has one dream in her heart, a dream she’s had since she was a child. To be the best in the world. Her recent showdown with Olympic Champion Dame Lisa Carrington proves she’s got what it takes. Now she’s setting her sights on the Paris Olympics 2024 but there’s something few people know about Aimee. That growing up she was wracked with fear, that it’s taken years to achieve the grit and work ethic required of a top athlete. That she would paddle to the start line in tears, afraid of the pain. She wants people to know, not all athletes are born tough.

The 27 year old made the tough decision two years ago to step out of Canoe NZ’s High Performance programme citing athlete welfare. With the spotlight on the treatment of High Performance female athletes, she shares what she thinks is needed for a healthy environment and culture. The last two years have been the hardest for Aimee. Some days she admits crying in the middle of the lake during morning sessions on her own, but her strength and determination to achieve her dream, is nothing less than inspiring.

Music credit: Hard Boiled, Kevin MacLeod