As Lisa Carrington confirmed her plans to race at her fifth Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028, the International Canoe Federation takes you through her journey to becoming a legendary Canoe Sprint star.
Smoke On the Water, London 2012
At only 23 years old, a young Carrington came to race at the Eton Dorney in London as the reigning world champion in the kayak single 200m. Not the fastest out of the block in the final, she trailed behind Poland’s Marta Walczykiewicz and Beijing 2008 kayak single 500m champion Inna Osypenko-Radomska of Ukraine. However, the Kiwi went into overdrive after the 100m mark to beat Osypenko-Radomska and Hungarian Natasa Dusev-Janic in 44.63. That was the cue for the organisers to start playing Deep Purple’s famous guitar riff!
Dancing To Samba Tunes, Rio 2016
Rio 2016 was about title defence and more. Carrington was a force to be reckoned with in the 200m by then. A four-time world champion over the distance, she also bagged the prestigious world title in the kayak single 500m before flying to Brazil. Carrington stormed to the finish in the first final in Rio in 39.86 to beat Walczykiewicz and Osipenko-Radomska, who competed for Azerbaijan. In the middle-distance event, she did enough to come home with a bronze, her only one so far at the Games, as superstar Danuta Kozak of Hungary defended her title and Emma Aastrand Jorgensen of Denmark claimed silver.
Roar Of the Godzilla, Tokyo 2020
As the world was recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, Carrington was getting ready for utter domination. At the end of the Games in Tokyo, she became New Zealand’s most successful Olympian as she won three more gold medals, with two in little more than an hour. The 200m title seemed inevitable as she finished in 38.12 to beat Teresa Portela of Spain and Jorgensen. Making the workload look like a joke, Carrington jumped on the boat with Caitlin Regal in the kayak double 500m on the same day. The duo topped the heat, semi-final and final, winning gold in 1:35.78 to pip Poland’s Karolina Naja and Anna Pulawska and Hungary’s Rio 2016 gold medallist Kozak, partnering with Dara Bodonyi. After two Olympic best times, she completed her hat-trick, proving to be the master of endurance and speed. In the K1 500m final, she crossed the line in 1:51.21 to beat Tamara Csipes of Hungary and Jorgensen.
Catch Me if You Can, Paris 2024
Unstoppable. The Tauranga-born star, who finished fourth in the kayak four 500m in Japan, made up for it in France. Along with Alicia Hoskin, Olivia Brett and Tara Vaughan, they ended Germany and Hungary’s 40-year domination in the event. By taking the title in 1:32:20, New Zealand’s first in the women’s K4, Carrington was only getting started. She was in seventh heaven after piloting Hoskin and winning the women’s K2 500m gold, a title she claimed with Regal in Tokyo. Another hat-trick incoming? There was only one right answer to that question. While Csipes gave it all to try to deny the Kiwi great, Carrington proved why she is the queen of kayak in the K1 500m final in Paris, finishing with an Olympic best 1:47.36 to win her eighth and cement her legend status.
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California Dreamin, Los Angeles 2028
Hollywood should be scared. All your fame could not match the aura of Carrington as she lands in LA in quest of immortality. Winning two more golds at the Marine Stadium could mean only American swimming great Michael Phelps has more at the Olympics. Can she? Never underestimate Carrington!
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