Sue Powell's London Paralympic gold medal wears the scars of admiration.
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The prized possession's worn surface is evident of how admired it has been, from formal speaking engagements to being bitten by curious school kids.
"I really enjoy it," said Powell. "I went to quite a lot of the schools around Canberra and even down the South Coast and I enjoyed watching the kids play and look at the medal.
"They're always taken back by the weight of it and as I noticed it start to get a bit worn I decided to encourage them to rub it for good luck. Now every time I look at it I fondly remember both the event and the chance to talk to lot of kids around the place."
Powell claimed victory in the 3km individual pursuit four years ago and despite winning numerous World Championships she played down her chances of once again winning gold.
"For me it's about personal best so I just concentrate on each day doing what I can do and I'm not that confident but someone's going to have to earn it," she said.
"I'm not going to make it easy for them so I'm going to be out there to do my best.
"The last few years I've won the pursuit World Championships, this year I was beaten," she said. "There is a bit of margin now to go to the world champ so I've been working really hard to try to narrow that gap."
The Rio Games will likely be the cyclist's last. And despite her success, Powell has experienced the notorious financial struggles associated with less mainstream events, but her appreciation for the support she and others do get is as present as her modesty.
"There is a gap [in the public knowledge of athletes' financial struggles] and it is narrowing, but it's still difficult and it's very individual for a lot of Paralympians," she said.
"There is often increased expense as well with equipment and modifications for equipment," she said. "I don't know about for the wheelchair athletes but I can just imagine that the number of different wheelchairs that they probably have it can't be cheap, and it's the same thing with bikes."
Powell said these financial restrictions can create a moral dilemma for many athletes, with some controversial athletes benefiting from the attention that comes with poor behaviour.
"I think it's more about how you sell yourself rather than how well you do at your sport, and that's becoming obvious in a lot of sports now, it's not necessarily the best performer that gets the most attention.
"I think it's really important to maintain integrity of the sport."