For Alicia Hoskin and Olivia Brett, the results and the races at Paris 2024 seem surreal even now.
A difference of 0.42 is not much, but it was sufficient to secure a historic kayak four 500m Olympic title — a medal they longed for — and a lifetime of memories.
“Whenever we watch the races from Paris with our family, someone's always crying or getting goosebumps,” Hoskin said.
“It means a lot to us, our families, and New Zealand.”
Despite their success, day-to-day life remains unchanged — the same gym, the same waters, and the same love for paddling.
But the support from their communities and the spotlight on their sport are moments they treasure.
For Hoskin, bringing the medal back to schools and events in their hometowns has been especially meaningful.
“The medal represents the work that everyone has done. It's not just our gold medal because we paddled the boat. It’s everyone because everyone’s played such a huge part in getting our little country onto the world stage. So, it's fun to be able to share that back home,” Hoskin said.
“I guess the growth in the U13s and U14s surged, and that has been the coolest thing that we get to see. That's probably one of the most rewarding parts in terms of changes from last year. Especially when we see them braid their hair like we did at the Olympics, we see them taking out the K4 with their hair braided, that's cool,” Brett said.
Resting on their laurels, however, is a term that is non-existent in the New Zealand women's kayaking team's vocabulary.
One day before the 2025 Canoe Sprint season and the journey to LA28 begins, the K4, as expected, remains the priority.
But one familiar face — Lisa Carrington — will not be sitting on that famous boat this year.
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With the eight-time Olympic champion deciding not to race this year, a fresh face in Lucy Matehaere will take over the spot.
However, Matehaere is no stranger as far as her teammates are concerned, and for Hoskin and Brett, Carrington will be with them spiritually.
“I think for us, especially having Lucy in the boat this year, she's not new to us. So, the dynamic isn't that much different as well because she's always been around and part of the team,” Brett said.
“It's kind of sad not having Lisa here just as a person because she is our friend, and it's always nice having her around, but we're excited for this here. I think it's going to be pretty fun to see how far we can go with our team boat skills, and the K4 is the most fun boat.
“To be able to develop the K4 over the last four years and to keep that going with Lis supporting us, even though she's not here in person, is kind of fun."
The leadership and aura that Carrington brings are difficult to match, but as Hoskin put it, having trained with the Olympic legend every single day before heading to Europe, the 35-year-old is “very much part of the team”.
“We're drawing on her knowledge and experience, trying to build the K4 and be better every single year, no matter who's in the boat,” Hoskin added.
“So, we still get a lot of the great Lisa qualities, and we'll always FaceTime even when we're over here in Europe. We're very lucky.”
The black boat first is their mantra. It is irrelevant who is sitting on it.
“Even if Lisa is not sitting in the boat this year, she's still helping us to go faster and build a better team. So, we're training with a squad of girls.”
The K4 is a healthy obsession for New Zealand. High-performance athletes cannot be blamed for eyeing individual glory, but it is all about the team for the island nation.
According to Brett, numbers and targets are always going to be part of their lives, but even if they are on a K1, they are thinking about the K4, and the team's success. The duo believes individual success will follow if they get the K4 combination right.
“Even when we're in a K1 or K2, it's all pointed towards the K4. So that's our big project, and that's what we love to do,” Hoskin said.
“Whether we're taking out the K4, the K2 or the K1 during a training week, it's all helping the same goals. Because we love the K4 so much, we always want to take it out.”
Their level of bonding and camaraderie is inspirational and is often the key to their success.
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From playing card games to watching shows on Netflix, getting their nails done and going on a bike ride to get gelato, they enjoy each other's company.
In their own words, they have strikingly different personalities until they sit on that K4. For athletes born in the 2000s, interestingly, what they have in common is "not being good" at social media.
They burst into laughter, mentioning blooper footage that has not found its way to TikTok.
“They don't see the light of day. The world does not need to see that. We are not genuine 2000s babies, as we don't know any trends," the duo joked.
“You've got to build the real kind of relationship to succeed in a team. I think all of us in the New Zealand team have valued the idea of understanding one another as people, and we believe it makes us faster. We are different and think differently, but when we are in the K4, we're on a mission.”
The season is only starting, but LA28 remains the long-term goal for New Zealand.
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Having set the bar high, there seems to be no pressure for Brett and Hosking, and if anything, they thrive under it.
Not worried about future results, their attitude is to give it all when they put on that black singlet.
Instead, what they tend to focus on is improving their skills, physiology, and teamwork.
“It's important not to let other people's opinions pressure us and dictate how we feel. We're always going to give it 100 per cent, and so whatever the outcome is, we know that we've put in our 100 per cent effort,” Brett said.
“We always have our sights set on LA28, so a lot of what we're doing is building towards the next Olympic Games. But that's not to say that we're not throwing everything at it this year,” Hoskin said.
“We're still putting in the hard work this season, but our eyes are very much also set on LA28 and learning as much as we can before the next Olympics roll around.”
Full coverage of this week's event can be viewed on the Planet Canoe YouTube channel.
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