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Meet Emily Lewis

Sport gives Emily a sense of achievement and makes her feel good. As part of This Girl Can Week, we spoke to Emily Lewis who competes in canoe sprint. She tells us why sport is key to empowering women and talks about the excitement she feels when competing.

    TGC Profile Emily Lewis
    Emily Lewis

    Emily Lewis

    Year of study: Year 1
    Course studied: Forensic Science

    What sports do you play:  Canoe Sprint

    How often: Everyday

    What is your best sporting achievement? - Senior World Championships 9th K4 500m and U23 European Bronze Medallist K1 200m

    How do you feel when you are competing in your chosen sport?

    Nervous to start with! I believe in sport sometimes you need to feel nervous, and it’s a sign that your body is ready to do something hard.


    The nervous feeling is often accompanied by excitement and readiness. Then after competing, I feel happy and relieved. I feel pleased with what I’ve done and proud of myself.

    Do you think it is important for women to be well represented in sport? (Why)

    Absolutely. For me gender equality is important and I believe that through sport it can provide the empowerment of women and girls. Sport can allow you to believe in yourself and your ability to achieve, which can be transferred into every aspect of your life. You can learn so much through sport; teamwork, leadership, communication and respect for others.

    What are the benefits sport and physical activity can offer to people?

    I think it is important to participate in sport for mental health as well as physical wellbeing. I know how good I feel after training or racing. The feeling of having achieved something is amazing no matter how big or small.
    Sport gives you the opportunity to make friends for life and provides a group of people around you who support  and nurture you.

    Do you have a female role model that you most identify with and why?

    The obvious role model for me is inside my own sport. Lisa Carrington, she has been unbeaten since 2011 in the K1 200m at every World Championships and Olympics.

    When I have had the opportunity to line up against her at races its quite unreal. She is a very well rounded athlete who is still calm and collected every time she races.

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    Meet Emily Lewis

    Published on 22 November 2018
    • Category: Sport

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