Perfectly Flawed
Nikki Ayers: Unbeatable. Undeniable. Paralympic Champion
Paralympic gold medallist Nikki Ayers joins Perfectly Flawed to share her extraordinary journey from rugby to the top of world para rowing. Nikki grew up dreaming of representing Australia, but after a devastating rugby injury changed the course of her life, that dream ended up looking very different to the one she'd imagined. In this episode, Nikki opens up about losing the sport that had become such a huge part of her identity, discovering para rowing, competing at the Tokyo Paralympics and why she initially had no intention of continuing through to Paris. We talk about what it took to become “unbeatable and undeniable,” winning Australia's first Paralympic gold medal in para rowing, athlete burnout, learning to feel “good enough,” and why, after achieving everything she'd worked towards, Nikki ultimately chose to walk away from rowing. Nikki also shares what's next and why her sporting story might not be finished just yet. Content note: This episode contains discussion of a serious sporting injury and medical trauma.
