Nikki Ayers will make her Australian Rowing Team debut in 2018. The Canberra-local has been selected to compete in the PR3 Mixed Coxed Four at the 2018 World Rowing Championships. Ayers has a postgraduate diploma in Critical Care and is a Intensive Care Registered Nurse, a job she combines alongside rowing out of Capital Lakes Rowing Club under the guidance of coach David Butt.
Ayers was an active rugby union player until two years ago (in 2016) she dislocated her knee and and damaged her Peroneal nerve and Popliteal artery. As a result, Ayers developed complete drop foot and had a staggering 16 surgeries to remove the dead muscle and undergo a knee reconstruction to repair three ligaments. Ayers got into para-rowing after attending one of Rowing Australia’s #Train4Tokyo Talent ID days at the Australian Institute of Sport as it was a sport identified to suit her impairment – as Ayers describes it ‘I gave it a go and have loved it ever since!’.