38-year-old former NZ Squash player Shelley Kitchen is set to be inducted into NZ Squash Hall of Fame
“I was really humbled and proud, but I’m sure they must have someone else, so I was sort of in denial about it for a little bit," says Kitchen.
It's been four years since an athlete last received the honour.
In the 2011, Kitchen was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to sport.
At the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia, Kitchen beat world number one Nicol David of Malaysia in the third-place match to capture the women's singles bronze medal.
“What’s really helped me is just having the belief- and you have to train really hard,” he says.
Kitchen now gives back to a sport she loves. She's a part of the Squash NZ high performance team, working towards developing young players.
"I'm overseeing the high performance structure for all our squads and our national teams that go [overseas to compete]," says Kitchen.
The NZ Squash Awards take place next month.