Australian Olympic kayaker Alyce Wood adds another set of strings to her bow waiting for Tokyo
The postponement of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics left Australian kayaker Alyce Wood with enough time on her hands to learnt he ukulele. Now she’ll pack an extra piece of luggage in her kit bag for Japan next year.
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Olympic kayaker Alyce Wood has filled the void of the postponed Tokyo Olympics by transforming from fumbling musician into a ukulele whiz.
The Gold Coast-based Wood proudly took on the #OlympicDayGoals challenge for Tuesday‘s Instagram climax when she posted her rendition of singer Vance Joy’s Riptide with bonus vocals.
“I‘ve gone from nothing, not even being able to play ’Twinkle, Twinkle’, to a full song and lyrics … super proud I got there in the end,” Wood said of her one-month crash course.
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This year‘s Olympic Day, to mark the birth of the modern Olympic movement in 1894, took on a very different feel with Olympians and members of the public bonding over posts of their fun goals.
“Olympic Day this year is different … instead of counting down to the Games in a month, it’s been a time to reset, giving us the chance to try some new things,” Wood, 27, said.
“I had so much fun with it, it’s inspired me to try out some kayak karaoke when we’re on the water and pack the ukulele in my paddle bag.”
For Alyce and husband Jordan Wood, also picked for the canoe sprint for Tokyo 2020, adapting to fluctuating circumstances has been a key part of staying positive for the delayed Games next year.
“At the end of the day, my overall goal for Tokyo hasn’t changed, only the timeline has. I’m flipping it to a positive to see it as a really good reset,“ Wood said of her mindset.
“If you have that end goal set, you can change directions, go backwards, see what works, and come back to your goal without ever getting lost.
Australian Olympic Committee chief executive Matt Carroll said only 3988 Australians have earned the right to call themselves Olympians over more than 120 years.
“On Olympic Day, we recognise their remarkable Olympic moments, the determination of those athletes resuming their training for next year’s Tokyo Games and everyone at grassroots getting back to their sport safely,“ Carroll said.