She was one of the Kiwi standouts at a Commonwealth Games where the track cyclists dominated, but it's been a rough ride since for Emma Cumming.
Sidelined with injury all year, Cumming's had to watch her teammates compete in her spot.
The perfect motivation as she vies to get back to the top.
Six months off the bike after hip surgery, Cumming is back in the velodrome for the first time after being confined to physio and rehab for 12 months.
"One of the biggest things I've learned is that it's okay to have bad days," Cumming told Newshub.
"It's okay to feel not that great, it's just as long as you can come out of that a better person, you definitely learn things, you learn things about yourself."
Cumming established herself at the Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast last year, winning two medals on debut. Her selection became a formality.
But the road since has not been easy. The physio's table still occupies much of her time.
And as much as she fought to come back from injury, she must now fight again in a battle to take back her spot in the team sprint from teammates she has had t watch ride in her place.
"It was hard," she said. It definitely wasn't easy. It definitely fires you up, it makes you want to train harder and be better and it makes you want to beat that person."
But with injury has followed a new love for the sport.
Cumming's time off the bike has fuelled her desire to be on the start line for the Tokyo Olympics next year.
"It's a massive driver," she said. "It's something I've dreamed of since I was little, it's something every athlete's dreamed of, but you're only as good as what's to come."
But past results would suggest what's to come will be success.
Sprint coach Rene Wolff is impressed with the drive he's seen from Cumming as she's battled back to full fitness.
"Actually, being now at the point where you can chase performance again, that was the biggest fight within her," Wolff told Newshub.
For now, Cumming is focused solely on training, but it's a valuable first step to reclaim a spot she made her own two-years ago.
Newshub.
