Canberra's intensive care nurse Nikki Ayers has her eyes on gold in Tokyo next week

It was this that propelled her to speak up about cancelling a Paralympics camp in Penrith, after the delta-strain started to take over Sydney.

"At one point there was still discussions of going to Penrith with the Sydney outbreak and with my experience I said 'look this is real', and sometimes it takes a person to experience it firsthand to actually fully understand the extent of this," she said.

"Having that experience of seeing the devastation firsthand. That was something I had to really draw upon, and just say 'I don't think it's safe to go to Sydney'."

Due to the third wave forcing snap and extended lockdowns across Australia, the PR3 mixed coxed four team has not been able to train together since their May camp was cut short. Despite the limited training they have had together ahead of Tokyo, Ayers said they were still hunting a podium spot.

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In 2019 the team, with Ayers as a reserve, finished fourth in the World Championships and it is this that is driving them towards a podium finish in Japan.

"This will be the first Paralympic Games that the Para-athletes row the same distance as the Olympic athletes, which is two kilometres," she said.

"In Rio, we still did a one kilometre race.

"We're going there to aim for the gold medal, but we are just going to go there, row as well as we can individually, and as a crew, and bring it together and see if we are good enough on the day to bring home that gold."

Australia's Paralympic team is taking extra precaution in the face of the bubble Games and will not eat in the dining hall to avoid mass communal areas for the 179-strong team heading to Tokyo.

"Paralympics Australia have been really good in essentially minimising any potential areas where there's a high risk of contracting Covid, or anything, from other athletes," Ayers said.

"That's why they made the decision for us not to go the dining hall, because it's a big common area.

"So they've done an amazing amount of work of getting lots of foods over there, with a nutritionist, and also I believe they've hired a local catering company that's going to be helping provide lunch and dinners for us as well."

Her dream of becoming a Paralympian began after her dream of playing for the Wallaroos was crushed by a rugby union injury in Canberra more than five years ago.

Ayers dislocated her knee, severed a major artery, lost feeling in her foot and damaged nerves in a trial match for the Tuggeranong Viqueens before undergoing 16 operations to save her leg and repair her knee.

After the injury left her with no feeling in her foot, she was encouraged to get back into surf life saving row boat. Before she attended one of the talent ID days at the Australian Institute of Sport and found rowing.

She was later selected to compete for Australia in the 2018 World Rowing Championships team, sprouting the origins of her Paralympic dream. Before the 30-year-old's dream became a reality in March, and made official back in July.

"I was pretty shocked," she said. I kind of went into trials with a mindset that I didn't think I'd get selected ... so when they said my name I was like 'Wow, I actually did this' - it was a bit surreal.

"One thing I've realised is that I thought my goal was to play for the Wallaroos, but I didn't do everything that I could have, I was almost a bit lazy, I was taking my talent my skill for granted. After my injury, it made me realise that if I want something, I really have to work for it and make those sacrifices."

The Dalmeny-born athlete will race in Tokyo on August 27, with the top two boats in each heat qualifying for the final on August 29.