Kiwi paddler Corbin Hart shakes his head, as he reflects on his unlikely journey to the Tokyo Paralympics.
"It was probably more stressful than losing my leg," he chuckles.
Last time the Paralympics were staged at Rio de Janiero in 2016, the former surf lifesaver still had both his limbs, so it never occurred to him he would one day perform on this stage.
All that changed two years ago, when a civil roading accident cost Hart his right leg - but he hasn't looked back since.
"I went back to work after my accident, doing what i was doing, but I didn't enjoy it," he tells Newshub. "It was too tough on the mind, so I reached out to a friend and said I wanted to have a go in a kayak, because I always liked the water."
That friend was newly crowned Olympic kayak champion Caitlin Regal, who steered Hart to the local North Shore Canoe Club and coach Gavin Elminger.
In little more than 12 months, Hart, 27, has somehow transformed himself into a Paralympian through hard work and a relentlessly positive attitude.
"I still find myself thinking 'what am I doing here?', but I'm very excited," he admits.
Hart hasn't quite reached Tokyo yet, still preparing in the city of Komatsu, before moving into the athletes village next weekend.
"I started paddling in July last year and by the end of August/September, I started paddling twice a day," he says. "Gav was worried I would overtrain, because I was so new.
"I was doing it just for fitness, but thought 'let’s see what I can do', so I put all my time and energy into paddling. It's paid off so far."
Two domestic regattas showed Hart was a quick learner, so Regal set a new goal for the newcomer - the Tokyo Paralympics.
"Caitlin mentioned I had seven months and a last-chance qualifier in May," he recalls. "It seemed far fetched to me - I was just thinking about Paris [2024] and the qualifying regatta would be a good learning experience, but I was lucky enough to qualify.
"It’s all so new to me still, so you just hope for the best and give it all you can."
At Szeged, Hungary, Hart earned an official KL2 classification - limited to truck and arms - and finished seventh in the KL3 200m final to qualify for Tokyo, where he will compete alongside Rio veteran Scott Martlew.
That was just his third competition and his international debut, this will be his fourth and he's still not sure what to expect from his unexpected opportunity.
"I had this conversation with Scott's coach yesterday," says Hart. "He said 'you've got nothing to lose, it's a good learning experience for Paris, just relax and chill, and you'll actually go quite well.
"I just want to paddle and do my best, and whatever I do will be my best."
Hart and Martlew hit the water at New Zealand's happy hunting ground of Sea Forest Waterway for kayak heats on Thursday, September 3.
