A mere 0.05 seconds separated Aimee Fisher and Lisa Carrington when they last faced each other before the Olympic Games.
Two weeks earlier, the gap was 0.33 with a world record time required to determine the winner of this mammoth women’s kayak single 500m battle.
On both occasions, Fisher emerged victorious against the five-time Olympic champion.
The results of the two International Canoe Federation Canoe Sprint World Cups in Szeged and Poznan sets up a mouthwatering clash between the two New Zealanders.
“How exciting for the Olympics,” said Fisher after her victory in Poznan in May.
“Everyone get on board as you know it is going to be the clash of the titans.”
It looks set to be one of the races of the Games that will not only captivate New Zealanders but Canoe Sprint fans across the world.
Carrington is New Zealand’s most successful Olympic athlete of all time, winning five golds and one bronze.
The 35-year-old won three of those golds at Tokyo 2020 and is the reigning champion in the women’s K1 500.
But Carrington arrives in Paris expecting to face a huge fight to retain her crown.
While Carrington was making history in Tokyo, Fisher was watching from home.
Fisher, who opted to miss the Games, said it was “hard” to see the Olympics from afar but had used the past three years to ensure she was back on the biggest stage.
“Since Tokyo, I have done a lot of training,” said Fisher.
“I have got a magnificent team around me that have supported me and brought me to this point.
“There are a lot of people who I don’t know whether I would still be here if it wasn’t for them having stepped in and walked through it with me.”
It has been eight years since Fisher last appeared at the Games when she competed in the women’s kayak four 500m at Rio 2016.
“I feel like I have grown so much since then,” said Fisher.
“I feel like I’m someone who can walk through fire now.
“I can walk through the white-hot pressure and walk with my shoulders back and stand upright.
“There is no denying that it is hard, but I feel like I can withstand the storms now.”
In Paris, Fisher will compete in the women’s kayak double 500m with Lucy Matehaere before her showdown with Carrington on Saturday.
While all eyes will be on the battle between the two, Fisher insisted that her sole focus will be on breaking the world record which she holds at 1:46.19.
“Having Lisa out there, I just feel like we are pushing each other to new heights,” said Fisher, the 2021 world champion in the women’s K1 500m.
“Not that long ago, people were only just breaking 1:48 and going 1:47.
“Now we have broken through the ceiling in being able to go 1:46, I feel like we are going to see some amazing races between us.
“Who knows how fast we can go?
“But I feel we need each other to be sparing and to see what the limit is.
“I’m excited for Paris, nervous too.
“There is no denying that.
“I don’t want to let that fear and that stress consume me.
“I just want to go one day at a time, just focus on giving my absolute best that I can to every training session, every moment.
“Maybe the most intense pressure cooker there is at the Olympics.
“I want to see how fast I can go.
“I really want to go 1:45.
“Since 2017, that’s been my dream number and when I used to say that, people thought I was crazy.
“Now I think it is possible.
“I am 1.2 off that and honestly that’s going what I am going to be pursuing.”
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