Carrington-Fisher decider too close to call for Ian Ferguson

Paddling great Ian Ferguson says Thursday’s third showdown between Dame Lisa Carrington and Aimee Fisher to decide who will go to the world championships will bring the best out of both athletes.

The pair will face off at 10am in a third race, which will be streamed live on 1News.co.nz, after Fisher won the first race by 0.08 of a second and Carrington levelled it at 1-all with a victory by 0.11 of a second.

With International Canoe Federation rules meaning only one athlete from each country can compete in each event at the world championships, the pair will be separated on Lake Karapiro tomorrow morning.

“It's too close and it's brilliant, I think for racing, you can't ask for more,” Ferguson said.

“We had it in our day with Paul MacDonald, Allan Thompson and myself always racing off and it always gets the best out of you, it's training for the real thing out there overseas.”

Both races, between the two, have followed the same pattern, Carrington flying out of the start, Fisher surging.

Ferguson suspects the decider will run to a similar script.

“Whatever their strength is they'll have to go with that strength [because] that's what's going to get them through, the best way to race the race without thinking about the other person, that's perfect,’ Ferguson said.