It was one of the races of the 2018 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships; it’s shaping up to be THE race of the 2019 titles in Szeged, Hungary, next week.

Kozak v Carrington. The two biggest names in women’s canoeing. Both multiple Olympic and world champions, going head-to-head over 500 metres for the right to wear the crown as the ruler of the distance.

The 500 metres has been the domain of Kozak since the 2012 London Olympics, just as the 200 has been Carrington’s territory. But while Kozak has chosen to stay clear of Carrington’s turf, the New Zealander has made no secret of her desire to wrest the 500 title from her Hungarian counterpart.

Last year just 0.730 seconds split the pair. It was Kozak’s first international race since her triumph at the 2016 Rio Olympics, and she wasted no time reminding everyone why she is the most feared athlete over the distance.

Kozak has two Olympic gold medals over 500 – 2012 and 2016. She was world champion in 2013 and 2014 and has been European champion five times. But she has also shown she’s not unbeatable.

At this year’s European Games, Belarus’s Volha Khudzenka edged Kozak in a gripping finish that required the magnifying glass to determine the winner. Khudzenka also has Carrington’s scalp on her belt, having beaten her in Kozak’s absence at the 2017 world championships.

Khudzenka finished third behind Kozak and Carrington in Portugal last year and is itching to have another crack at the star duo next week. She is the one athlete who could upset the status quo in Szeged.

Carrington has been eyeing off an attempt at four events in Tokyo. Its incredibly ambitious, but few athletes work as hard as the 30-year-old double Olympian. She finished third behind Kozak and Denmark’s Emma Jorgensen in the 500 at Rio, after winning gold at the 2015 world championships.

She has three world championship silver medals over the 500, two of them behind Kozak, and is sitting out the K2 500 next week, which should take some of the pressure off. Last year in Montemor she competed in the four events she wants to race in Tokyo.

Jorgensen is also a strong medal prospect. Like Carrington, she races both the 200 and the 500, her silver medal behind Kozak in the 500 at Rio being her career highlight. The 23-year-old has not won over the distance at a major international, but has a world championship bronze and a European bronze to her name.

RIO 2016 OLYMPIC GAMES

Gold: Danuta Kozak (HUN)

Silver: Emma Jorgensen (DEN)

Bronze: Lisa Carrington (NZL)

2018 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Gold: Danuta Kozak (HUN)

Silver: Lisa Carrington (NZL)

Bronze: Volha Khudzenka (BLR)

2017 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Gold: Volha Khudzenka (BLR)

Silver: Lisa Carrington (NZL)

Bronze: Emma Jorgensen (DEN)

2019 EUROPEAN GAMES

Gold: Volha Khudzenka (BLR)

Silver: Danuta Kozak (HUN)

Bronze: Emma Jorgensen (DEN)

2019 WORLD LEADER

Lisa Carrington (NZL)

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