It hurt but Carrington claims dual golds

Fresh from winning her fourthstraight sportswoman of the year award at the Halbergs, Lisa Carrington has captured another K1 double at the New Zealand Canoe Sprint Championships.

The 30-year-old triumphed in the K1 500m final on the final day of the championships at Lake Karapiro yesterday to go with her 11th K1 200m title that she won on

Friday.

Yesterday’s race in nearperfect conditions was far from easy, with Carrington pushed the whole way by fellow New Zealand squad members Caitlin Ryan and Aimee Fisher.

Carrington, the world champion in both events, clocked an impressive mark of 1.48.23 – a little under two seconds shy of the world-best time – to retain her national crown.

Ryan finished

second

in

1.50.42, while Aimee Fisher was third in 1.52.54. The other member of last year’s World Cup gold medal-winning K4 500m crew, Kayla Imrie, placed fourth in

1:56.37.

Carrington was competing in her first regatta of the year on the road to the Tokyo Olympics and knew it was always going to be tough against her national crew team-mates.

‘‘It is never easy. The 500m is always a tough race. You have to be OK with the hurt and try to hang in there. It is nice to able to do what I’ve done in training.’’

Ryan was delighted to add K1 500m silver to the K1 200m bronze she won on Friday and was more than satisfied with her overall effort across the three-day regatta.

Ashton Reiser capped a successful national championships by adding the men’s K1 500m title to the K1 200m gold medal he banked two days ago.