Kimberley Woods
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Nationality | British | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | (1995-09-08) 8 September 1995 (age 28) Rugby, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.62 m (5 ft 4 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 62 kg (137 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Country | Great Britain | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | Canoe slalom | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Event | C1, K1, Kayak cross | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Club | Rugby Canoe Club | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Kimberley Woods (born 8 September 1995) is a British slalom canoeist who has competed in C1, K1 and KX1 at the international level since 2011.[1] A six time world and eight time European champion, she won the bronze medal in both the K1 event and the first ever women's kayak-cross (KX1) event in Paris at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Life
Personal life
Woods was born in 1995, one of four children living in Rugby. Aged four she watched her aunt Diane, who was a silver medallist at the 1994 World Junior canoeing Championships,[2] and was helped by her grandparents to get her own canoe. She was bullied as a child because of her physique and used canoeing as an escape from this.[3] She won three medals at the world junior competitions but was forced to stop canoeing because of an injury and turned to self-harming.[3]
In 2013 she attended Rugby College and later, the University of Hertfordshire.[4]
Woods has been open about how she has struggled with mental health issues throughout her life. On two occasions she has checked into a private mental health hospital, and has stated how she experienced suicidal thoughts.[2]
Canoeing
Woods has won 13 medals at the ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships with six golds (Kayak cross: 2023; C1 team: 2017, 2018, 2023; K1 team: 2019, 2021), three silvers (C1: 2023; Kayak cross: 2022; K1 team: 2015) and four bronzes (K1: 2021; C1 team: 2022; K1 team: 2018, 2023).[5]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/26/Woods_K._%E2%80%93_2023_Canoe_Slalom_WC_Prague_5458.jpg/220px-Woods_K._%E2%80%93_2023_Canoe_Slalom_WC_Prague_5458.jpg)
She has also won 14 medals (eight golds, three silvers and three bronzes) at the European Championships, including a silver in the C1 team event at the 2023 European Games in Kraków.
Woods won the overall World Cup title in Kayak cross in 2023.[6]
She qualified to represent Great Britain at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo in the Women's K1 event[7] where she finished in 10th place.[3]
In 2024 she returned to Olympic kayak competition, in Paris[8] winning a bronze medal in the women's slalom K–1.[9]
World Cup individual podiums
![]() | ![]() | ![]() | Total | |
C1 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 10 |
K1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Kayak cross | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
Total | 5 | 6 | 5 | 16 |
Season | Date | Venue | Position | Event |
---|---|---|---|---|
2013 | 22 June 2013 | Cardiff | 1st | C1 |
29 June 2013 | Augsburg | 3rd | C1 | |
2015 | 27 June 2015 | Kraków | 2nd | C1 |
8 August 2015 | La Seu d'Urgell | 3rd | C1 | |
2016 | 4 June 2016 | Ivrea | 3rd | C1 |
10 September 2016 | Tacen | 1st | C1 | |
2017 | 17 June 2017 | Prague | 1st | C1 |
18 June 2017 | Prague | 2nd | K1 | |
2019 | 16 June 2019 | Lee Valley | 2nd | C1 |
8 September 2019 | Prague | 2nd | C1 | |
2022 | 26 June 2022 | Tacen | 1st | Kayak cross |
2023 | 11 June 2023 | Prague | 1st | Kayak cross |
1 September 2023 | La Seu d'Urgell | 3rd | C1 | |
3 September 2023 | La Seu d'Urgell | 2nd | Kayak cross | |
8 October 2023 | Vaires-sur-Marne | 2nd | Kayak cross | |
2024 | 16 June 2024 | Kraków | 3rd | Kayak cross |
References
- ^ "Profile". BritishCanoeing.org.uk. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
- ^ a b Media, PA (28 July 2024). "'It's finally me': kayaker Kimberley Woods' joy after claiming first Olympic medal". the Guardian. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
- ^ a b c McRae, Donald (4 March 2024). "'My only outlet was self-harming': canoeist Kimberley Woods on taming depression and targeting Paris gold". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
- ^ "Former student and future Olympian visit Rugby College ahead of Tokyo 2020". wcg.ac.uk. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
- ^ "Kimberley WOODS (GBR)". CanoeSlalom.net. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
- ^ "2023 ICF Canoe Slalom World Cup" (PDF). Retrieved 29 July 2023.
- ^ "Team GB canoeing athletes selected for Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games". www.teamgb.com. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
- ^ "The complete day-by-day guide to Team GB at Paris 2024". ESPN.com. 22 July 2024. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
- ^ Poole, Harry (28 July 2024). "Paris 2024 Olympics: Great Britain's Kimberley Woods wins kayak single bronze". BBC Sport. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Kimberley Woods at the International Canoe Federation
- Kimberley Woods at Olympedia
- Kimberley Woods at Team GB
- v
- t
- e
- 2013: Australia (Jessica Fox, Rosalyn Lawrence & Alison Borrows)
- 2015: Australia (Jessica Fox, Rosalyn Lawrence & Alison Borrows)
- 2017: Great Britain (Mallory Franklin, Kimberley Woods & Eilidh Gibson)
- 2018: Great Britain (Mallory Franklin, Kimberley Woods & Bethan Forrow)
- 2019: Australia (Jessica Fox, Noemie Fox & Rosalyn Lawrence)
- 2021: Czech Republic (Tereza Fišerová, Gabriela Satková & Martina Satková)
- 2022: Czech Republic (Gabriela Satková, Tereza Fišerová & Martina Satková)
- 2023: Great Britain (Mallory Franklin, Kimberley Woods & Ellis Miller)