Canoe Queen Lisa Carrington beats Aimee Fisher to force world championships berth decider

Five-time canoe sprint Olympic champion Lisa Carrington edged her rival Aimee Fisher in a thrilling K1 500m race on Sunday (23 April) at Lake Karaprio.

The 0.11-second victory tasted all the sweeter for the 32-year-old, who lost to Fisher a day earlier in the national final by 0.08 seconds.

The rivals will now compete in a deciding third race on Thursday (28 April), with the winner taking the solitary k1 500m berth in New Zealand’s World Championships team, in Nova Scotia, Canada this August.

"How spectacular that we can front two paddlers like that and put on a race like that. Pretty special eh?” Fisher, who won the K100 500m 2021 world title in Copenhagen, told 1 News.

“She [Carrington] outclassed me today, so kudos to her. She had the legs on her today and she got me."

Carrington, who took the K1 500m world title last year, won a remarkable three gold medals at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in 2021, winning the K1 200m, K1 500m, and K2 500m.

Fisher decided not to compete in Japan after a dispute with Canoe Racing NZ over athlete welfare, and now wants to make up for lost time.

“I’ve had this dream in my heart since I’ve been young, I want to be the fastest paddler the world’s ever seen,’’ Fisher told Sky Sport New Zealand.

“I want to see how fast I can do. I have this belief now of what I’m capable of."