Lisa Carrington from New Zealand became World Champion last year in Szeged, Hungary in the K1 200 metre event. Lisa hails from Auckland on the North shore, which is only 5 minutes from where she trains most of the year, although she also spends a few months in Europe each year.

She began kayaking through Surf Lifesaving when she was about 16 and once she realized how far kayaking could take her, to the Olympics and beyond, she wanted to stick at it. As she began her career in the surf, she has not paddled whitewater, focusing instead on ocean races as her major sport when younger. Although New Zealand is known for its beautiful rivers, with well-known whitewater kayakers like Sam Sutton, Michael Dawson and Aaron Osborne, Lisa’s preference is for still water.

“Winning the K1 200m event was a great feeling with a whole lot of excitement thrown in. When I came home, people congratulated me everywhere and wanted to know more about kayaking and me. The title came to me as a bit of a shock, so with the K1 200m event as a major focus leading into London, I am excited to go even faster.”

The road to the London Olympics officially begins at the selection races when the Olympic team will be announced at the beginning of March following the Oceania Championships. The team will then spend 4 months in Europe starting with the World Cups in May and finishing with the season highlight of the Olympics in August. This will be a long time for Lisa to be away from home. Although she is not officially selected yet, she’s taking a positive approach by training and thinking like she is already on her way.

“My career high would be winning the K1 200m at the World Champs last year. I love being able to paddle on the stunning lakes and rivers in New Zealand and all over the world - it is so beautiful when the water is clean and pristine. I struggle to find many lows in my sport other than those days when my training targets are not met – or it is windy!”

I don’t think size matters in my sport, it’s how effectively you use what you have. I would say I have a good power to weight ratio.

Finally, her advice to young paddlers about her sport – “Paddle because you enjoy it and have a passion for kayaking”

We’ll look forward with keen interest to further updates on Lisa’s progress towards the Olympics.