Meet the team paddling for medals
AIMEE FISHER
Fresh from winning silver at the world under-23 championships in the K1 500 in Bulgaria last month, the 23-year-old from Hastings will team up with Kayla Imrie in the K2 500 and that duo will join Carrington and Ryan in the K4 500. The Rotorua canoeist made her Olympic debut in Rio in 2016 in the fifth-placed K4.
KAYLA IMRIE
The Te Whakatohea descendant tried gymnastics, netball, triathlons, swimming and ballet before making canoeing her chief sporting pursuit. After missing K4 500 selection in 2014, she was approached to become a javelin thrower but stuck with her kayak, made the team for Rio and was part of the quartet which won bronze at last year’s world championships.
REBECCA COLE
The New Plymouth athlete is the reserve for the women’s K4 500 crew and has been pushing the incumbents hard – she won gold in the kayak at the World Cup in Germany when teamed with Carrington, Fisher and Ryan. Cole will contest the K1 1000.
QUAID THOMPSON
The Gisborne-based paddler has been rewarded for a fourth place finish in the K1 1000m at the world u-23 championships by winning selection in the K1 1000m and K1 5000m.
SCOTT MARTLEW
The emerging para-canoeist will contest the men’s KL2 200 and VL2 200. The Christchurch-based amputee athlete has recently been reclassified as a KL2 athlete and claimed a KL2 200m silver medal at the World Cup in Hungary in May.
PETER COWAN
The Hawke’s Bay’s youth worker lost a leg while training for the Ironmaori triathlon in 2010 collided with an oncoming car. He’ll join Martlew in the VL3 200m event.