Kayaking: On a quest to paddle in Rio

Aimee Fisher heads off for yesterday's third training session on the Clive River. Photo / Duncan Brown

Teen secures spot on national senior team

Hawke's Bay kayaker Aimee Fisher has transferred the Rio Olympics from the dream category to the reality one.

Some pundits may argue this is a bold move considering Fisher and her New Zealand K4 500m teammates Teneale Hatton, Caitlin Ryan and Jaimee Lovett who are ranked 14th in the word after finishing fifth in this year's B final in Moscow have yet to qualify. But Fisher, who has been Auckland-based for the past two months as part of her quest, is convinced she will be paddling in Rio during August, 2016.

"It's scary but we're on track. I think we can do it as there has been so much improvement since we've been based together in Auckland as a team," Fisher said yesterday before another training session on the Clive River while home on a "two-week holiday".

"I wanted to qualify from the Bay but the opportunity to train virtually full-time under Rene who is now a world-class coach after being a world-class competitor was too good to turn down," Fisher said referring to Denmark-raised new national coach Rene Olsen.

A Karamu High School product, Fisher, 19, pointed out her move to Auckland was part of a "quarter-life crisis."

"I no longer want to be an accountant. I've transferred from EIT where I was studying business to AUT where I will start a three-year Sport and Recreation course in February which will probably take me six to eight years because of all my kayaking commitments.

"The long-term plan is to become a physical education teacher. I want to come back to the Bay and coach a big squad. I don't want to coach at elite level but at grassroots level like Ben," she said pointing to former coach Ben Bennett who was mentoring his latest squad nearby.

However that is in the future. Rio is her sole focus now.

Fisher's next regatta is the Lake Karapiro-hosted nationals in February. The week after the nationals there will be trials from which the New Zealand team for the August world championships in Milan will be selected.

The top 10 finishers in each Olympic event in Milan qualify for Rio. A quick glance at Fisher's training schedule suggests it will be a surprise if Fisher and co miss out.

"This time last year I was doing 60 or 70km each week. In the build-up to the worlds this year I was doing 120 and when I return to Auckland I will be doing 140. This is my holiday but I still trained Christmas Day and I'll train on New Year's Day ... today I will have three sessions on the water and most weeks I have 14," Fisher explained.

A couple of years ago the Jarrod Cunningham Trust, Aspyre Fitness and Hastings RSA-sponsored Fisher was labelled "the next Lisa Carrington" because of her domination of K1 events while moving through the junior ranks. However Fisher is not planning to do K1 events or K2 as well as K4 in Rio like she did at last year's junior world championships in Canada.

"We'll only be doing K4 ..."

The fact Fisher has been selected in a national senior team when she could still do another three years in the junior ranks is an indication of how far she has progressed in the sport since taking it up as a 13-year-old.

"At first I was quite scared about being the youngest. But the older girls mother us," she added.

Bennett said he never doubted Fisher's ability to fulfil her dream of competing at Rio. "I was pretty sure she would make the team. Her spot is secured now ... all they have to do is qualify."

And his thoughts on Fisher's latest dream of returning to the Bay and becoming "the next Ben Bennett".

"That would be cool. Whenever she comes back Aimee always has some new information to pass on to our squad ..."