There have been many memorable moments in a sensational International Canoe Federation season. In the fifth of our moments of 2024, we look back at when Lisa Carrington completed a hat-trick of gold medals to remain the queen of kayak sprint racing.
There was plenty of hype surrounding the prospect of a showdown between New Zealanders Lisa Carrington and Aimee Fisher at the Olympic Games in Paris.
This mouthwatering battle that Fisher had dubbed the “clash of the titans” certainly added extra excitement and intrigue heading into the Canoe Sprint competition.
Fisher had reason to feel confident lining up at the start-line having defeated Carrington in the women’s kayak single 500m at the two ICF Canoe Sprint World Cups in 2024.
Very little had separated the two with Fisher producing a world best time to get the better of Carrington in Szeged before winning by a mere 0.05 in Poznan.
But when it comes to the Olympic Games, Carrington manages to find an extra level to see off any competition.
There was simply no stopping the 35-year-old in her pursuit of Olympic glory again as she forged ahead in the final.
Carrington posted an Olympic best time of 1:47.36 to retain the women’s K1 500m crown as Hungarian Tamara Csipes took silver and Denmark’s Emma Aastrand Jorgensen claimed bronze, while Fisher agonisingly missed out on a medal.
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“You probably don’t realise how much you feel that your identity is wrapped in winning, and until you don’t win do you realise what I was leaning on,” said Carrington.
“I think it was really like reminding myself why I do this, using my team, and also I think it made me realise that I really had to fight today, to perform this whole week.
“I really had to be super diligent.
“I guess it just taught me that I had to pay attention to the detail, and turning up and literally being able to handle the pressure, is a tough thing.
“I worked really hard on figuring that one out.”
Carrington’s K1 victory meant she finished a second successive Games with three golds having won the women’s kayak double title with Alicia Hoskin and piloted New Zealand to their first-ever women’s kayak four crown.
With eight gold medals, Carrington equalled the record title tally in Canoe Sprint of Germany’s Birgit Fischer which had stood for 20 years.
There are only two women across all Olympic sports who won more golds with American swimmer Katie Ledecky and Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina achieving nine.
“It’s crazy,” said Carrington who also has a bronze medal to her name.
“I’ve said it many times, I don’t do it to count how many medals I have, but it’s cool.
“(Fischer is) a legend of the sport, and to be alongside her is really cool.
“I think there’s also some other incredible women that haven’t necessarily achieved gold medals.
“It’s wicked. It just feels so privileged to even be here, and be a part of the Olympic Games in canoeing.”
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