Carrington beats Fisher again to clinch world champs berth

Lisa Carrington.
Photo: Photosport

Canoe sprint great Lisa Carrington has confirmed her place at the world championships in emphatic style by beating Aimee Fisher a second time at the national championships on Lake Karapiro.

Carrington was too quick in their women’s K1 500m showdown on Saturday morning, winning race two in the best-of-three showdown with close rival Fisher, who was the 2021 world champion.

It was a repeat of the result of race one on Friday, with Carrington building an early lead and proving too hard to pull back.

If Fisher had won, the clash would have gone to a third and deciding race on Monday.

Both paddlers went faster than their times on Friday.

Carrington won in smooth conditions with a smart time of 1min 48.04sec, with Fisher nearly two seconds back, with a large gulf back to the rest of the field.

It means 33-year-old Carrington will New Zealand’s sole representative in the discipline at the world championships in Germany, with each nation only allowed one entry per event.

Carrington has won 19 medals at world championships dating back to 2011, with 12 of them gold.

She is also a five-time gold medallist at Olympic level, making her New Zealand’s most decorated athlete at the Games in any discipline.

– RNZ