Carrington confident Rio’s lagoon will scrub up well
Conditions at the Rio Olympics canoeing venue are not perfect but dual world champion Lisa Carrington believes there won’t be any issues with the course come 2016.
Following on from winning the K1 200m and 500m world titles in Milan last month, Carrington attended a test event at the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon in the heart of Rio de Janeiro over the weekend.
She did not compete in any of the races but spent some time on the water and said weeds were a major issue.
‘‘I got on the course for a paddle and to get the gist of the area, so it was good,’’ Carrington said.
‘‘There was a bit of weeds, what happens is when it’s really sunny the weeds grow really fast, so hopefully they can control that and some of the kayaking manufacturers are working out ways of combating the weeds there. Hopefully it’s not an issue [next year], I’m sure it won’t be.’’
Problems with weeds were not just confined to the Rio lagoon, she said.
‘‘There are cases where weed is a problem, it’s not great to have it on the course at all, it’s not acceptable because it can be very unfair.
‘‘Weed is a problem all around and it’s just a matter of controlling it.’’
The problem Rio organisers have is that when it rains sewage gets into the water, but when it’s sunny the weeds grow.
An Associated Press study found the water in the lagoon registered high viral readings, with a low of 17.3 million viruses per litre and a high of more than one billion.
Water experts contacted by AP said a level of 1000 per litre would be considered ‘‘highly alarming’’.
The Rio organisers have only tested for bacteria levels and said they were in a safe range for competition.
Other athletes described the water as a red-brown colour, but Carrington said she was not concerned about the quality of it as everyone had come through the event fine.
‘‘Obviously it’s not like our lakes here in New Zealand, you wouldn’t want to go drinking it. It’s a big city, there’s six million people, so it would be keep hard to keep it as clean as our New Zealand lakes are,’’ Carrington said.
‘‘But no-one got sick, you’ve got to take precautions with it – not drinking it and making sure that you’re not touching the water and then touching your mouth and eyes, as well as cleaning all your equipment.’’
Carrington’s main focus will not be on the colour of the water come 2016 – she’ll have her eye on adding two Olympic golds to the one she won in London.
‘‘I’ve had a really positive progression in the 500 and hopefully I can keep going along that projectile. Even with both events, in the 200 I’ve improved as well, which is really cool and if I keep working on the things I’m working on and try to make each day better, I’ll get the best results I can.’’
At 26, Carrington is in the prime of her career and has no plans to make Rio her swansong: ‘‘It wouldn’t put it as my last race ever, that would be quite a lot of pressure and I think, for me, there is still a lot to keep learning.
‘‘I don’t know what the expiry date is for me, I’m 26 and a lot of women keep on paddling right into their 30s. ‘‘It is tough physically and mentally and until that point where I stop enjoying it or finding growth, I think that’s when it will be time to give it up.’’