Olympic selection dilemma for Canoe Sprint team

New Zealand K4
Photo: PHOTOSPORT

An impressive display by New Zealand’s female paddlers at the Canoe Sprint World Cup regatta in Hungary has left the sport with the task of fitting five athletes into four seats for next year’s Olympics.

Dame Lisa Carrington again led the charge in Hungary picking up gold in the K1 500 and teamed up with Alicia Hoskin to win the K2 500.

Carrington, Hoskin and Olivia Brett and Tara Vaughan claimed bronze in the K4 500.

Throw in Aimee Fisher’s silver medal behind Carrington in the K1 and there are five athletes chasing just the four seats that are likely to be on offer for Paris next year.

Dame Lisa Carrington and Aimee Fisher
Photo: Canoe Sport NZ

“We have five people that are very good and won us four medals at this World Cup so it’s a difficult situation,” said High Performance GM Nathan Luce following the Hungary event.

“To win four medals in the women’s Olympic disciplines was the dream scenario of what we’re planning to do next year.”

However the issue now is where does Aimee Fisher fit in that scenario.

If New Zealand qualifies the K4 for the Olympics at this year’s World Championships then just four athletes can be selected to fill the three boats…. the K1, K2 and K4.

Carrington and Fisher are currently the best two single paddlers in the world and New Zealand can have two athletes in the K1 race in Paris next year, but they have to both be a part of the four selected.

That means one of the current women’s squad of five would miss out.

“You can’t fault what the current crews did (at the World Cup regatta in Hungary) but at the same time Aimee had an outstanding performance (in the K1) so these are good problems to have.

“We’ll have to discuss with the selectors and coaches on what the final crews will be for the K2 and K4 and whether we’ll do any trialling or not.”

However Luce says they won’t be rushing into those decisions and they have until July 1st before they have to finalise their World Championship squads.

He says their main objective is to get the K4 qualified for the Olympics via the World Championships.

“If those four sports are qualified then the selection resets itself leading into the Olympics and that’s where Aimee and others could trial for Olympic selection.”

There are no longer any 200 metre events at the Olympics.

The squad will now return home to train before returning to Europe later in the year to prepare for the World Championships. in Germany in August.