Lisa Carrington. Picture / Supplied.
Dame Lisa Carrington remains top of the kayak pack, after edging compatriot Aimee Fisher in their K1 500m clash at the Canoe Racing World Cup in Hungary.
Carrington, who has set the standard in the sport for more than a decade, crossed the line in 1.54.25 to claim gold, just ahead of Fisher (1.54.62), in a thriller.
The 33-year-old made her customary strong start and held off a remarkable late charge from Fisher, who has emerged as one of Carrington’s greatest threats over the last two years.
It was a brilliant race – with echoes of their battles on Lake Karapiro last season – but on a much grander stage, as they duelled in adjacent lanes.
Fisher was fourth after 250m, trailing Carrington by 1.69 seconds, before her powerful surge.
It was their first K1 500m meeting at World Cup level and another intriguing chapter in their rivalry.
Fisher had qualified fastest for the final, recording 1.54.33 in her semifinal in a commanding performance.
Carrington wasn’t as quick (1.55.65) but still comfortably ahead in the first semifinal.
Their duels have captured the public imagination. Carrington seemed imperious at K1 500m level for a few years, before Fisher’s triumph in the first race of the 2022 national championships. Carrington ultimately edged that world championships selection duel 2-1, as crowds flocked to Lake Karapiro. Fisher also took out the 2021 world championships,, beating two Tokyo medallists, though Carrington didn’t compete, a few months after her Olympic heroics.
Fisher’s ongoing prowess is exciting for the sport. She is the only Kiwi paddler who can get close to Carrington at K1 level, and they will push each other to new levels.
That’s been evident on this trip.
“They’ve only done a couple of sessions together, but it was good to see them paddling together on the water again,” said Canoe Racing New Zealand high performance manager Nathan Luce.
Fisher left the national training programme in June 2020, citing issues with the environment, after a prolonged standoff with the governing body. She trained in isolation for almost three years, before returning to the CRNZ fold for this campaign.
“Aimee could have prepared for the K1 anywhere in Europe if she wanted to, but she chose to come with the team,” said Luce.
“I think that was a good decision on her part and it was good for our team’s culture but also just having her around and seeing what she can do on the water. She’s an impressive athlete as well.”
On Saturday morning the K4 500m crew of Carrington, Alicia Hoskin, Olivia Brett and Tara Vaughan claimed bronze, edged by China and Spain in the final. It was an impressive effort – ahead of top crews from Australia, Germany and Poland among others. The result underlines the potential of the quartet, given Brett (21) and Vaughan (20) only completed their first senior international campaign in 2022.
Luce said it showed the fruits of a mountain of work since last season.
“We knew that those two athletes [Brett and Vaughan] had most to gain throughout the training season and they made the biggest gains on and off the water,” said Luce. “What we’re seeing is their improvement, knowing that Lisa and Alicia are at a pretty high level, both individually and as part of a crew.”
Their next assignment will be August’s world championships in Germany, with Olympic qualification spots on the line.
Earlier on Saturday Scott Martlew claimed silver in the KL2 200m, behind world and Paralympic champion Curtis McGrath.
Fellow para canoe exponent Corbin Hart finished fifth in the KL3 200m A final.