By Freya Peters

Many children spend their 13th birthday blowing out candles, eating cake and celebrating with friends. Few spend it in a kayak.

But this is exactly how Emily Lewis spent hers, trying out the sport for the first time after a friend recommended it.

Kayaking quickly became an outlet for Emily’s competitiveness.

“When I started, it was more just for fun, wanting to see friends outside school, paddle on a nice river, have mud fights and go swimming,” she said.

“But we started competing at the regattas, and as you get promoted through the rankings, you get a bit of a buzz each time.”

As she progressed, it became her dream to represent Great Britain at the Olympics, something which she fulfilled in Tokyo 2021.

The selection process for the Games was a long and emotionally challenging one.

However, this period was also one of learning and growth. Emily got the opportunity to train alongside Men’s K1 200m Olympic Champion, Liam Heath and his coach Eric Farrell.

“Liam was just so committed and driven every day. He knew how to push himself in every session and he knew when he needed to back off. He showed me how to train really. And Eric just showed me the level of support and dedication from a coach that enables you to perform the best you can. He supported you as a human and an athlete.”

Despite dreaming about the Olympics for a long time, the 2021 Games were not exactly how Emily imagined them. COVID-19 restrictions meant that family members were unable to attend and the athletes had to be tested for the virus every day.

This didn’t stop Emily falling in love with Japan. It also gave her a heightened appreciation for her team, especially close friend and fellow athlete Deborah Kerr.

“Me and Debs have known each other for many years and we’ve shared rooms on camps and competitions. I don’t think there’s anyone who knows me better. We’ve been through all the highs and lows of sport together,” said Emily.

“We were there to support each other in the tough moments but also the great moments. So, it was a pretty special time.”

Since the Tokyo Olympics, Emily has started to focus on appreciating the journey more than just the outcome of races.

“I actually enjoy what I do daily, spending time with the squad. It’s a really happy place and I want to cherish all those moments now because there’s going to be a point where it stops.”

The mindset shift was prompted in part by how she felt after the Games.

“I think I come away from most competitions and have a little bit of a low. I felt it really strongly after Tokyo. It was just coming back and feeling like that was this lifelong goal that I wanted to achieve, and now I’m home and I don’t feel that fulfilled. I thought it was going to make me really happy. It didn’t. Which is why enjoying the journey is now the focus. Going to the Olympics may or may not happen again. I’d love it to happen. But now it’s not like, this has to happen, this is the one thing that’ll make me happy, because it wasn’t and it didn’t.”

Many athletes suffer from post-competition lows. Alongside enjoying the process, Emily finds it helps to have nice things planned for after a competition. For her, that means family time or a holiday.

She is also working with a sports psychologist to develop herself as a person and recognise her identity outside of sport. With a degree in Forensic Science, a yoga teaching qualification, and a wedding to plan with fiance Joe Beevers, there is no shortage of places to look.

She also has a Staffordshire Bull Terrier called Bella who has her own Instagram account and over 100,000 followers. Emily says she is obsessed with Bella who provides her with lots of joy and a sense of responsibility in her daily life.

Yoga has become a defining part of who Emily is.

“It brings me a lot of comfort and calmness. I love doing breathing practices to help calm the nervous system. I was getting this feeling from doing yoga and I really liked it. I wanted to learn more about it so I did my qualification and now I want to bring what I feel when I do yoga to other people’s lives, that element of relaxation and mindfulness.”

Channelling this new mindset has certainly yielded results.

Last year she won a bronze medal in the K1 200m event at the World Championships in Milan, Italy.

It was a full circle moment for Emily. 10 years prior she had competed at her first senior World Championships over the same distance in K2 with Hannah Brown and placed fourth. Being so close to a medal so early on in her career inspired her.

When Emily returned to Milan in 2025, this time with Hannah as her coach, the stage was set for something special.

“I feel like my mindset that weekend and racing that event was very much like I’m so excited.

I’ve got the opportunity to become a World Champion today.”

This mindset allowed her to seize the opportunity and power to one of her proudest performances to date.

“It just made me feel like hard work pays off. These margins are so tight and you could re-run a race five times and the result would be different, so I’m just cherishing every opportunity.”

Emily is racing the K4 500m this year. She was slightly disappointed with how this season had started, being just one position away from qualifying for the A final in the first two World Cups.

But, it all changed in Montreal, Canada. At this third World Cup, the K4 not only made the A final, but placed 6th, giving the crew a confidence boost and scoring valuable points for Olympic qualification.

Her plan for the future is to focus on the K4 500m, alongside her favourite event, the K1 200m.

“It’s a shorter race, there’s no time to think. I feel like it’s more natural for me. It’s a lot more explosive and I just love it. But, I feel like racing the 200 helps my K4 as well because I’m sitting in the front and I want to be that explosive, powerful paddler. So I think it brings out qualities that I want to work on and bring to the K4.”

Explosive, powerful paddling is exactly what fans can expect Emily to bring to the Paddle Games.

The event’s unique format excites her.

“It was the element of the unknown that made it so exciting. Not knowing which buoy you were even going to turn around and just assessing the situation when you’re in it.”

After racing with borrowed paddles last year when hers snapped on the flight to the competition, Emily is excited to experience the Paddle Games thrill all over again. And with a wedding on the horizon, she has her eye on that coveted prize money.

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