Becoming an Olympic champion tends to define a life story, yet Fatima de Melo insists she rarely reflects on her moment of glory as a key member of Holland's team of hockey heroes.
The gold medal she took home from Beijing 2008 lies hidden from view in a kitchen drawer at her home, with the decade that has passed since her golden Olympic moment only part of the story for this fascinating sporting icon who has become a television star, a successful businesswoman and a top-level poker player.
As Fatima sat down with Female First for an exclusive interview at the PokerStars event in Monte Carlo, it was evident that her memories of Olympic glory as very much pushed to the back of her mind.
"My Olympic gold medal is in a drawer in my kitchen and it's not something I look at too often," begins the champions who won a bronze medal in the 2000 Olympics and a silver medal four years later. "One of my team-mates puts it on display and I just don't understand why you would do that. I don't need a medal to know what I have achieved in life. It's not about that one moment, it's about the process of how we got there that was exciting for me.
"If I come to you and say, what are the highlights of your current relationship and you say; the day I got married. I'd say that was a pretty average relationship. It needs to be more than one day or one moment to make something special and that's how I reflect on my hockey career.
"Sure, I enjoyed hockey, I loved the idea of working towards a goal and the moment I felt like I didn't enjoy the training anymore and the structured life, I had to quit.
"If you love something and love the process of getting there, then it works for you. If you fall out of love with the effort to reach your goal, you need to stop doing that job or leave that relationship, if we are using that analogy."
Since retiring from hockey, De Melo has established herself as a respected television presenter and has also become a fixture on the PokerStars circuit, where she competes against the game's best players for big-money prizes in glamorous locations around the world.
Our meeting in Monte Carlo was the latest stop for the PokerStars roadshow, with Fatima telling us her passion for the game has helped to channel the competitive spirit that allowed her to thrive in her sporting career.
"It was never a plan to become a professional poker player, but this is where I feel like I can get my competitive juices flowing again" she continues. "I studied law and that always seemed like the most likely route for me to go after my hockey career finished, but I found other avenues that were more interesting.
"I wanted to use the platform I had as a sports person in Holland to send out a positive message to the world and inspiring people in whatever way I could, with this move into poker part of what I enjoy now. This has proved to be a wonderful story for me."
Fatima is keen to urge more women to join her around the professional poker tables, as she believes the drive for female equality needs to be spearheaded by trailblazers who dare to push the boundaries.
"The tables at PokerStars events are dominated by men, but that can change and it can change very quickly if we want it to," she adds.
"More and more women are working and getting into high-profile positions in sports and business now and attitudes are certainly changing. Over the last 50 years, things have changed a lot and I hope women will now have more confidence to throw themselves into environments like this and believe they can compete.
"There is no reason why a woman cannot beat a man at poker, other than the fact they might not believe they can or may not even think about trying.
"Guys have always had different levels of confidence. They are the ones who have traditionally gone after the girls and chatted them up in bars and don't mind too much when they get turned down. They are basically bluffing their way through that kind of situation and have the confidence to try it, but women have not needed to put themselves in that position too often.
"Now things are changing. In our Tinder culture, women are taking more risks in life. Getting a salary jump is also bluffing a little and that is progressional and evolution.
"Women and men get compared so often and we are very different, but we are learning together and there is no reason to suggest women cannot win the big poker.
"In all apsects of life, women need to be go-getters and I would encourage all the girls reading this article to study poker and get involved in our great game. Go for it. If you lose, who cares."
Fatima de Melo is a PokerStars ambassador. For more information go to - https://www.pokerstars.uk
Check out the PokerStars Ambassadors taking part in the Keepie Uppy Challenge below:
Words by Kevin Palmer, who you can follow on Twitter @RealKevinPalmer.