Kimberley Woods takes kayak bronze after overcoming childhood bullies and depression

Kimberley Woods has a habit of making paper medals before major competitions in the hope of replacing them with real ones. It is a creative ritual that paid off in the most dramatic fashion on Sunday when she clinched an unlikely bronze in the women’s kayak slalom.

The 28-year-old was sitting in third and faced a nervy wait as Germany’s reigning champion Ricarda Funk, a gold medallist in Tokyo three years ago, began paddling down the course at the Vaires-Sur-Marne Nautical Stadium. Funk was expected to produce a clean run and was a shoo-in for a medal, but endured a nightmare. She received a 50-second penalty for fatefully missing the 20th gate of 23 and with it, missing the podium. Her devastation was Woods’ joy.

Moments earlier, Woods was ecstatic to have navigated the tricky course in one piece and without any sanctions. Her elation was evident as she punched the air after passing through the final gate unscathed with relief etched on her face. It was a markedly different set of circumstances on her Olympic debut three years ago, when she was inconsolable after she finished last. “It means the world,” said an overjoyed Woods. “It wasn’t easy sitting in third with the current Olympic champion coming down but I put my all into that. I’m so happy.”

Woods, who was pushed down into third by Australia’s gold medal winner Jessica Fox and Poland’s Klaudia Zwolinska, added: “The wait was absolutely horrific. Seeing Ricarda Funk coming down I couldn’t watch, I was on my knees, I was head in hands not being able to watch and all of a sudden I heard the crowd shout something and there was a mistake and I was like, ‘Oh my god, I can’t believe I’ve done it.’ I had my whole team around me and it was a really special moment to be down there.”

It capped off a remarkable story of resilience for Woods, who has been open about her mental health struggles and was bullied as a child for her athletic physique. In 2021, she told Telegraph Sport how taking the contraceptive pill had sent her spiralling and led to depression and self-harm. Sport, however, has been her one constant, her one release. “All the mental health stuff, I try my absolute best to use my platform [to speak about it],” said Woods. “The Olympics is such a good stage to do that. Just go out there and get some help if you need it - it’s OK not to be OK. Who knows, you might win a medal at the end of it.”

It is no less than Woods deserves after a tumultuous few years. Weeks after competing at the Tokyo Games - when she missed a gate that led to a 56-second penalty - she was involved in a car accident that left her wheelchair bound for a week before the 2021 World Championships. Incredibly, she flew to Bratislava to compete in the event and claimed her first individual world medal with K1 bronze.

In Paris, she displayed vestiges of that same fighting spirit in an unforgiving sport where Britain has barely featured among the medals at the Olympics - Woods is only the second British woman after Helen Reeves, who won bronze in Athens 20 years ago, to make a K1 podium.

Her confidence-boosting bronze sets her up perfectly for the kayak cross next week, which is making its Olympic debut in Paris. Expect Woods, the reigning champion in the event, to make another one of those paper medals.