Olympic Cyclist Anna Taylor Shifts Focus to Female Athlete Health During Pregnancy
Cambridge, NZ – Paralympic cyclist Anna Taylor, a decorated rower and cyclist, is leveraging her athletic experience and academic background to contribute to a new project focused on female athlete health, even as she prepares for motherhood. Taylor is currently working with ACC and Sport NZ on a project aiming to improve health support for women in sport, from community levels to high performance.
Taylor’s involvement stems from a paid internship offered thru High Performance Sport NZ’s (HPSNZ) Prime Minister’s Scholarship program, wich provides 10 athletes annually with workplace experience. HPSNZ performance life coach Hannah McLean facilitated Taylor’s placement, recognizing the prospect to utilize her degrees and maintain her connection to the sporting world.
“The internship was an ideal opportunity to provide Anna with the workplace experience she was after, using her sporting experience, skills and expertise,” McLean said. “And ultimately have input into how female athlete health support evolves for the better in new Zealand.”
The project addresses a critical gap in sports medicine research, which has historically focused primarily on male athletes. Kirsten Malpas of ACC highlighted the need for tailored approaches to women’s training and participation. “So much research…has been done on men, and that’s just been adjusted – or just assumed – it applies to women,” she explained. ”We’re finding out there are so many differences that need to be factored into how women train…So how do we set them up to sustain their participation and being physically active, and not have them bow out through injury or a negative experience?”
Taylor’s unique perspective as a high-performance athlete, having competed in rowing and Paralympic cycling, and her personal experience navigating the ACC system, are invaluable to the project. She currently works 10 hours a week from her home in cambridge and is expected to continue through October.
Malpas expressed hope that Taylor will remain involved even after the birth of her child, anticipating her insights as a new mother will further inform the project’s focus on supporting women’s activity during and after pregnancy – an area identified as needing increased attention.
Taylor also holds positions representing the athlete voice on the athletes’ councils of Cycling NZ and Paralympics NZ, and is on the board of the Athlete Leaders Network.
Originally published at Newsroom.co.nz.