Twigg prepares for life after Rio

This break follows a period during which Twigg indicates that training and her environment were getting her down and she felt she was in need of a change. When it became clear that her interest in rowing the women’s double sculls would not become a reality, she considered the option of taking a sabbatical.

She then heard of the FIFA Master course through a fellow Kiwi, saw it as another option and applied. During her preparation for the 2014 World Rowing Cup in Sydney, she learned she had been accepted. “It was the perfect answer for my desire to freshen up and in a way it took a load off my shoulders in 2014,” she says.

The FIFA Master programme covers Humanities of Sport, Management, and Law. Students take courses in three different European cities: Leicester (GBR), Milan (ITA) and Neuchâtel (SUI). Twigg mentions how her experience in each of those places has been unique. “Leicester was a time when we were all getting to know each other. We all lived together in the halls and the smaller time meant for some great times. Milan was very different, a much bigger city and more ‘social’. Neuchâtel has been my favourite to date. It is a lovely Swiss town and the weather has been warming up.”

In each of those places, Twigg had the opportunity to get in touch with the local rowing community. That is what made her experience so amazing, she says. “I have been reached out to in all places. I have been shown the best roads to ride, had my boat looked after, been treated to local delicacies and got to know rowers in an environment that is not the narrow high performance environment I am used to. Fantastic!”

In Neuchâtel, Twigg will be studying under Denis Oswald, former FISA president and director of the International Centre for Sports Studies (CIES). Twigg describes Oswald as a mentor. “His background and experience speak for themselves and his understanding of the course and the demands of training at an elite level has been invaluable,” she says. “I’m looking forward to his guidance of our final project in July.”

With students from all around the world, Twigg has genuinely enjoyed hearing so many languages spoken and says she has learnt so much from all of her peers. “It has made me determined to learn a language when I have some time on my hands after the master,” she says.

And no, she has not forgotten about training. Scheduling has become all the more important. “My days are planned to the minute,” she says. “I have been surprised by how much I have been able to fit into my days. Class runs from 8:30 to 17:30 with back to back lectures, so this means getting up early to train in the morning, sometimes making the most of lunch breaks and hitting the gym, and going to be late after fitting a session in after school.”

Asked about her level of fitness, she simply replies: “I am really happy with where I am at the moment.”

After graduation in July, Twigg is aiming to make the most of her time in Europe during the summer. Her focus will be back to rowing and to going fast. But already she is thinking ahead to after the 2016 Olympic Games. “I would love to have a job ready to start soon after Rio,” she says. “I would like to take the year to advance my career and gain some more experience while it is relatively fresh.”

Today, Tuesday 28 April, Twigg joins the celebration for the 2014 Parmigiani Spirit Award in Zurich, Switzerland. On this occasion the winner, Franz Gravenhorst, and his university club will be presented with a brand new top-of-the-line Filippi racing eight boat. The boat christening will also welcome the victorious Swiss University Rowing Team who won the most medals at the 2014 European University Rowing Championships.

For more information about the Parmigiani Spirit Award, click here.