Canoe racing: Dame Lisa Carrington reveals goals as World Championships begin in Canada

Lisa Carrington will be in action at the World Championships this week. Photo / Photosport

Dame Lisa Carrington's kayaking journey comes full circle this week as the World Championships get underway in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

The last time Carrington competed in Canada she had just turned 20 and was making her first appearance at that level.

It was July 2009. Barack Obama had just entered the White House, Michael Jackson was mourned by billions and smartphones were rarely seen.

Carrington was a junior member of that New Zealand team, with the focus on Beijing Olympians Steven Ferguson and Erin Taylor, but she performed credibly, teaming up with fellow youngster Teneale Hatton to finish seventh in the K2 1000m and 13th in the K2 500m.

"Yeah, it's cool, 2009 being my first World Champs and coming back here," Carrington told the Herald. "It's been really different. There's a bit more coffee culture here, a few more cool places to eat. It's great to be back here. I love going to Europe, but it's a novelty being able to go to North America."

What Carrington omits to mention is her giant strides since Dartmouth 13 years ago.

In 2011, she became the first New Zealand female to win a world championship gold medal and the first Kiwi to podium since 2003.

That was followed by London Olympic gold, multiple medals in Rio de Janeiro and her Tokyo triple treat. Along with those Olympic achievements, you need an abacus to keep track of her world championship medal hauls, which we have almost taken for granted.

But alongside her success, Carrington is also focussed on leaving a legacy in the women's programme.

That comes into sharp focus this week alongside the youngest female world championship squad in years - with Alicia Hoskin (22), Olivia Brett (20) and Tara Vaughan (18).

What does Carrington (33) try to teach them?

"If they have questions, they ask," laughs Carrington. "It's generally just realising you can never stop learning how to be a better paddler; a better trainer. For them, it's figuring out how to get better all the time and what it's going to take."

Carrington enjoys her mentor role, but the support flows both ways. It has been "refreshing" to be surrounded by young paddlers and she hopes they can benefit from her experiences and the vast bank of practical knowledge that has been built up.

"It is really tough, especially as they are so young, to perform so quickly," said Carrington. "If they can learn something that took me longer to learn because I know it, I'd rather they know it sooner so they've got the resources to get somewhere quicker."

Team bonding was helped by an extended camp in southern Ontario, where internet coverage was sparse and the female squad shared a lakefront house.

"It's not normal for people to live together but weirdly it got easier and easier," said Carrington. "We struck the right balance."

Cooking and cleaning duties were split, with Carrington and Hoskins' best effort homemade bao buns.

"It got a bit competitive at one stage but we did simple stir fries by the end," said Carrington.

It's been a different kind of world championships preparation for Carrington, with an extended post Olympics break, her wedding in March and the captivating selection duel with Aimee Fisher in April.

"It's been a busy year and, looking back, it's been a year since Tokyo. Time flies and this next week will go so fast. So we have to make the most of it."

Like Tokyo, Carrington will face another intense schedule of up to 12 races, as she competes in four disciplines (K1 200m, K1 500m, K2 500m with Hoskins and the K4 500m).

The intervals are slightly more forgiving but it will be another test of endurance.

"[Tokyo] was super challenging, because they only had 90 minutes between some races and you know, it's the Olympics," said Carrington. "So it all comes down to that moment. So I guess it's a bit different here. This is a world champs, it's time to test myself a little bit."

It's still a tricky balance of peaking for when it matters most, while ensuring progress.

"It's gonna be strategic how I approach the week," said Carrington. "Obviously you don't take heats and semis lightly, but you've got to also follow a plan because you can't go 100 per cent for every single race. It's just not possible."

Carrington will be hot favourite to continue her K1 200m streak, where she is unbeaten since 2011.

The bigger test will come in the K1 500m, as more paddlers focus on that distance, with the sprint event removed from the Olympic schedule.

In the K2, Hoskin and Carrington showed their potential with a world cup bronze in the Czech Republic while the scratch K4 crew managed sixth and second across two recent world cup regattas, though fields will be more competitive in Canada.

"It is exciting for the future," said Carrington. "It's pretty tough lining up at your first world champs with such a green crew. No matter what the outcome we'll have a lot of motivation and things that we've learned to go on to the next year."

Alongside the women, New Zealand is represented by their biggest men's team in years, with 10 athletes.

Tokyo Olympian Kurtis Imrie and Max Brown combine in the K2 500m, with Ashton Reiser (K1 200m, K1 500m) and James Munro (K1 1000m) in the single-seaters.

The K4 500m crew of Ben Duffy, Hamish Legarth, Munro and Zach Ferkins make their world championships debut while experienced outrigger canoe exponent Peter Cowan lines up again.

Two time Paralympian Scott Martlew (KL2 200m) and fellow Para-athlete Corbin Hart (KL3 200m) round out the team.

Martlew is the first Kiwi paddler in action on Thursday (2:35am NZT) , with Carrington lining up twice on the opening day in the heats of the K4 500m (3:36am) and the K1 500m (7:36am).