Every Friday of lockdown, LockerRoom shares posts from Kiwi sportswomen who’ve caught our eye with novel ways of keeping on top of their game.
This week a motor-racing driver builds a car from scrap, an expectant Black Ferns captain cuts corners in training, and an Olympic canoeist reaches new heights with her paddle.
Rowing
World champion rower Emma Twigg is ramping up some good ol’ Kiwi ingenuity during lockdown. Not wanting to miss a beat, the three-time Olympian has taped sticks to oars and set up her erg in her Cambridge backyard.
Rugby
Black Ferns captain Les Elder is not letting her 33-week baby bump get in the way of exercise…sort of. The loose forward is sneakily cutting corners in an online training session with her Bay of Plenty rugby team-mates.
Motorsport
Pedal to the metal has taken on a new meaning for motorsport driver Alexandra Whitley. The V8 racer is not slowing down with her home-made simulator race car made from “parts from the V8 ute, wood out of someone’s skip, a chopped up bbq, some cushions and all the bolts from every cupboard handle in the house”.
Shot put
We’re used to Dame Valerie Adams entertaining the nation with a shot put. But the two-time Olympic champion is winning in a new field – finding treasure at home to keep her kids captivated in isolation.
Canoeing
Does visualisation still count as keeping active in your bubble? Olympic kayaker Kayla Imrie is putting the technique to good use by paddling away… on the roof of her car.
League
Kiwi Ferns hooker Krystal Rota is keeping on top of her bullet pass from dummy half with some rugby league stars in their own version of the #dontrushchallenge. Wait for the gem at the end.
Snow sport
Winter Olympian Anna Willcox has gone from skiing the slopes to scrubbing the ice in curling – with everyday items she found around the house. The Crowd Goes Wild reporter is cheering people up with her own quarantine sport challenge.
Athletics
Natasha Eady is known for passing the baton in relays – part of the 4 x 100m who won New Zealand’s first medal at the World University Games last year – but she’s making moves transitioning on TikTok instead of the track in these unprecedented times.
