Canoeist Esti Olivier rises above personal battles to clinch a ticket to Paris
South African canoeist Esti Olivier. Picture: esti.oli4/Instagram.
JOHANNESBURG – Esti Olivier and Tiffany Koch snatched the last spots in South Africa’s Olympic Canoeing team booking their ticket to Paris.
“With Tiff living in Durban, our focus will be to improve on our individual shortfalls, and then to work on the technical aspects of the K2, especially the race plan, when we get together for training. I try to fly down to Durban at least once a month, work and life allowing,” said Olivier.
Olivier and Koch beat former World Surfski Champion Michelle Burn and 2012 Olympic bronze medallist Bridgitte Hartley in the final leg of the three-race shootout to earn the women’s 500m K2 place in the team to go to Paris in August.
“We have the World Cup coming up in Hungary from 10-12 May. This will be our only international race before competing at the games, so it will be interesting to see where we are in terms of international level racing.”
Esti Olivier on Canoeist Esti Olivier overcomes personal battles to clinch a ticket to Paris. Picture: esti.oli4/Instagram.
Olivier had missed out on the Tokyo Olympics after qualifying owing to the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee’s (SASCOC)'s qualification policies.
“I actually qualified for Tokyo according to IOC/ICF qualification criteria, but I didn’t meet the additional criteria that was put on top of the international qualification criteria by SASCOC. Criteria which ended up being scrapped, but unfortunately not before they had already refused our qualification quotas and handed them back to the ICF for reallocation,” said Olivier.
The 30-year-old competes in both the K1 a solo kayak and a K2 which is a tandem.
She says transitioning between the two is easy as the objective is to go as fast as you can in the 500m.
“It also helps to be paired with Tiff as we have been through so much together already and understand how the other reacts to stress and pressure. We know that no matter what, when we get on the water it is go time. Leave everything else on the bank."
Talking to Eyewitness News she says the setback highlighted the bad state of her mental health.
“In May of 2021, I reached breaking point while racing at the first World Cup and it reflected in my performance. But that being said, it also showed me just how strong I can be when I do get it right for those few minutes when I won silver at the second World Cup,” explained Olivier.
“Since then I have addressed many issues in my life outside of sport, some of the most difficult changes I have ever had to make. Things definitely got worse before they got better, but the light at the end of the tunnel was worth the journey.”
The canoeist says she’s working with a psychologist who has helped her get in touch with her past traumas and introduced methods of releasing trauma that has been stuck in her body and nervous system, which slowly poisoning her progress.
“These processes have helped me to be less reactive to small triggers, thus more effectively dealing with stress during competition. I have also adjusted how I perceive stress and pressure during events and in this way adopted a much more positive mindset around pressure.”
The canoe sprint star grew up exposed to sport. Her dad used to participate in triathlons when canoeing formed part of the multisport event.
When her father retired from partaking in triathlons, he continued canoeing.
“So, I was always next to the water taking in all the information and coaching instructions. So, by the time I got into a boat it kind of just came naturally to me,” said Olivier.
She added that she loved to race against boys and having the upper hand during her formative years.