Deborah Kerr, sprint kayaker

Physically, to look at us, our arms and upper bodies are our defining features. The sport is all about how your grip on the paddle connects to your feet on the footrests. Our arms are part of that chain.

A classic kayaking gym session involves chin-ups, with weights, and bench pulls: lying flat on a bench and pulling a lot of weight towards you. We will change our grips to change the muscle group that we are working on. At least 25 per cent of every gym session involves some kind of pulling.

One of the big things that stops girls from carrying on is body image. It is something that I struggled with at the start of my career. I looked really different to a lot of girls at school, which I found hard.

These days I am more inclined to follow track and field athletes than I am beauty influencers. I surround myself with women who have the same mentality as me when it comes to body image.

That is empowering and why female athlete role models are key to breaking the norms.

It can be hard being a woman in sport. It is fine when you are in the sport, but the second you turn on your phone or your TV, it is hard to escape those expectations.

I have been looking back to where it all started, when I was 11 or 12. I was the lankiest person ever, all arms and legs, which is useful for paddling.

My coach said she took one look at my dad, who is 6ft 2in and quite muscular, and thought that I would be good at this sport. I am not particularly naturally athletic; I have to work really hard. But I guess I have some genes on my side.

Deborah Kerr competes in the women’s kayak 200m event, starting on Aug 2, and in the 500m event, starting on Aug 4