Carrington eyes golden double
If Lisa Carrington feels the weight of the world on those sculpted shoulders of hers, she’s doing a mighty fine job of disguising it. History beckons this remarkable Kiwi kayak phenomenon, but not before training does.
So, as Carrington embarks on a campaign that could well culminate in her becoming the first New Zealand woman to win double gold at the same Olympics − and just the sixth Kiwi ever − she’s focused entirely on the process required to get there, and not the prizes on the line at the end of it all.
It’s a mindset fairly universal among elite sports people of her ilk. Nothing comes without the hard work and attention to detail. And fretting about intangibles, like pressure and expectation, do no-one any good whatsoever.
This 26-year-old Aucklandbased Tauranga paddler, of course, is a great chance to pull off that historic double in Rio. She is, after all, world champion in the canoe sprint K1 double of 200 and 500 metres.
She hasn’t been beaten over the shorter distance at a major championship since 2010 (that’s four world titles and an Olympic gold) and such was the command of her 500m triumph in Milan last year that the Rio double is considered hers for the taking.
But that’s all a long way from her mind as she knuckles down for a high-mileage training block before heading to Europe for her main Olympic preparation period. In a candid chat at the modest Auckland clubhouse that serves as her dry-land base, she explained her head-space beautifully.
‘‘I’m just really excited to get into some work so I can put my head down and take my time to refine a few things,’’ she says.
‘‘It’s nice to know the Olympics is coming but it’s not tomorrow. I’m refining, I’m making sure I’m doing things right, but I’m also enjoy what I’m doing
‘‘I feel quite relaxed in some ways, but also a little bit excited, a little bit scared, and a little bit anxious. But that’s because I know a big challenge is coming, and it’s an important one.’’
Part of that challenge will be dealing with the status of being the hunted, the one with the target on her back whenever she lines up. Carrington is very much the glamour girl of her sport, and her rivals will be hellbent on carving their own piece of fame by becoming the ones to take her down.
But again Carrington has her head in fairly good order. ‘‘It’s not just about winning, it’s about reaching your potential,’’ she says of her approach.
‘‘You work harder, trying to find that edge, and keep pushing the boundaries. It’s about making those gains and improving. If that happens there will be a gold medal or there won’t be a gold medal. I’ve just got to focus on the inputs and not result-based things.’’
She feels the support and expectation from home shores, too, admitting it can feel ‘‘overwhelming’’ when she processes it. Again she strips everything back to the stone-cold reality.
‘‘Ultimately I’m the person that has to go through it, I have to do the work and I have to be the one who goes through the highs and the lows. I have to do it genuinely and honestly so I can live with myself really.’’
Not that Carrington doesn’t find herself occasionally visualising a golden outcome to this year of years.
Let’s face it, she would be in hallowed company if she could achieve a double triumph in Rio. Only Peter Snell, Ian Ferguson (with three), Paul McDonald, Alan Thompson and Danyon Loader have won dual golds at the same Games.
‘‘You can definitely draw positive energy from that,’’ she says. ‘‘It is a scary thing, knowing you’re going out there and might be able to win a gold medal.
‘‘It’s like, this is pretty special. It’s exciting knowing you can do it and you’ve been given the opportunity. It might never happen again, maybe for as long as I paddle. Who knows, this could be the fastest I ever go. I’ve got to make the most of it.’’
Truth is Carrington has been making the most of it for the past half-dozen years. She made her first world championship final in 2010 and within a year had broken through for her first victory in the K1 200m in Szeged, Hungary, in 2011. She hasn’t relinquished her iron grip on the event since.
But there would be more. In 2013’s worlds in Duisburg she won bronze in the K1 500m.
Within 12 months she had moved up to the silver medal position in Moscow and by Milan last year there was only ever going to be one outcome. Winning has become a habit, and it’s not one Team Carrington wants to break.
‘‘We’re definitely not taking anything for granted,’’ says longtime coach Gordon Walker whom Carrington refers to as her ‘guru’.
‘‘As much as you can look back on what’s happened, it’s still a case of making sure everything is done the best we can do it. Whether or not she’s been beaten, it’s not something anyone reflects on within the campaign. It’s more about where can I get better and how much faster can I go? We have an attitude of just trying to make the best out of every day.’’
The grind is important, adds Carrington, but so too is the mind. ‘‘It’s about doing the work, but doing it smartly. Over time I’ve understood what works, but also getting older, being able to withstand training load a bit more, it’s a natural progression into being a better athlete. Ultimately that’s all I want − to continually get better.’’
To that end Carrington is adamant she heads towards Rio a more complete athlete than she was four years ago in London.
‘‘I think I’ve got a little bit more in my toolkit,’’ she says with a knowing smile.
Walker has made certain of that, constantly tinkering and adjusting the way they go about their business.
‘‘Change is something you need to embrace,’’ he says. ‘‘You need to work out how can we change without throwing away the things that have worked very, very well.
‘‘It’s the evolution of a longterm plan. We’ve got a good plan but we’re always sandpapering it on those edges, always trying to make little improvements.’’
It’s that focus on the small goals that keep Carrington from getting consumed by the huge one standing supreme at the end of this road to Rio. All in good time.