Personal information | |
---|---|
Nationality | Australian |
Born | 3 March 1991 |
Sport | |
Country | Australia |
Sport | Rowing |
Club | Capital Lakes Rowing Club |
Medal record |
Nikki Ayers is an Australian Paralympic rower. She was a member of the PR3 Mix 4+ at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.[1] Ayers and Jed Altschwager won a gold medal at the 2023 World Rowing Championships and have been selected to compete at the 2024 Paris Paralympics.
Ayers was born 3 March 1991.[2] She grew up in Narooma, New South Wales and moved to Canberra to study for a nursing degree at University of Canberra.[3] Ayers played rugby union and captained the ACT Women's Brumbies 7's team. In 2016, during a rugby union game, a tackle led to her dislocating her knee. the injury severed a major artery and nerve damage caused her to lose feeling in her foot.[2] She underwent 16 operations to save her leg and repair her knee.[4] In 2021, she worked as a registered nurse in the Intensive Care Unit at The Canberra Hospital and has a postgraduate Diploma in Critical Care.
Ayers competed twice in the gruelling surf boat George Bass Marathon along the South Coast.[3] Ayers' road to para rowing started through a 2017 Train4Tokyo session at the Australian Institute of Sport.[3] She commenced serious rowing training in January 2018 and was selected in the PR3 mixed coxed four at the 2018 World Rowing Championships where the crew finished fifth.[4]
She has won PR3 Women's Single Scull at Australian Rowing Championships in 2019 and 2021.[2]
At the 2020 Summer Paralympics, Ayers was a member of the PR3 Mix 4+ along with Tom Birtwhistle, James Talbot, Alexandra Viney. Their cox was Renae Domaschenz. They qualified for the final after winning their Repechage with time of 7:06.98 but came fourth in the final and failed to win a medal.[5]
Ayers moved to Adelaide after completing her midwifery studies in Canberra in to train with Jed Altschwager in the PR3 Mixed Double.[6]
Ayers with Jed Altschwager won the gold medal in the PR3 Mixed Double at the 2023 World Rowing Championships in Belgrade.[7]