FLASHBACK to the weeks leading up to the London Olympics 2012 and the life of rower Olivia Whitlam was centred on her dedication and determination to her sport.

But four years on and as the Rio games edge closer, the 30-year-old is excited at the prospect of enjoying a more relaxed summer.

“I am a normal person now. It is an enjoyable change,” laughed the Olympic athlete, from Daresbury, who now works in Manchester as a corporate citizenship manager for Siemens.

“I retired pretty much straight after the last games.

“I knew I was not going to carry on within a couple of weeks.”

Her decision to retire professionally from rowing was a difficult one after dedicating her life to sport since she started at the age of 17.

She lists a number of reasons behind her decision including the sacrifices around her friends and family while she trained 200 miles away and being forced to put her other sport’s love affair on hold - horse riding – after breaking her collar bone six weeks before the 2012 Olympic qualifiers.

Then there’s not forgetting the constant threat of injury which can plague an athlete’s life.

“I was not one of those people who intended to do it for as long as my body could sustain it,” said the former University of Nottingham student.

“I wanted to leave rowing without burst disks in my back and having to have operations.

“I did not entirely manage it as I have had to have a knee operation but other than that I am healthy in comparison to what some elite sports people leave their sports.

“People think sports people are really healthy but a lot of it is injury management as you are slowly tearing your body apart. It adds up year on year.

“You don’t want to spend the rest of your life slightly broken.”

Olivia has not cut all strings with the sport and is still a member of Agecroft Rowing Club in Salford Quays.

Since the last Olympics she has being able to support aspiring rowers and pass on her extensive knowledge of the sport.

She has also returned to her former school Kings in Chester to instil her passion into the younger generation.

Olivia, who was encouraged to join the sport by her school rowing coach as it was believed her height could put her at an advantage, said: “You need to be fit and you need to have had an active childhood.

“But in some ways it’s so stressful on you back to have a slightly more mature and stronger body can set you in good stead.”

Looking back on her time in the last Olympics, Olivia, who represented the Britain’s women’s eight team in London and also competed in 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, said the experience was more enjoyable than nervous.

“It does not matter if it’s an Olympic final or your first club regatta it is exactly the same race,” said Olivia, who became the under 23 World Champion in 2007.

“If anything I was a billion times more nervous for my first couple of years of rowing than I was by the time I was in the squad because you feel more capable and you know the ropes.

“By this time I actually knew what I was doing.”