Dame Lisa Carrington beats Aimee Fisher in race three of K1 500m at Lake Karapiro

Dame Lisa Carrington has beaten Aimee Fisher in race three at Lake Karapiro on Thursday to secure the solitary New Zealand berth in the women’s K1 500m at this year’s world championships.

The Olympic great made her customary fast start and held off a late finish from Fisher in cold, blustery conditions.

The pair were locked 1-1 in their gripping best of three series, with Fisher winning race one by 0.08 seconds and Carrington winning race two by 0.11sec on Sunday.

International Canoe Racing Federation rules mean each country can only have one entry per event at the world champs in Nova Scotia, Canada, in August.

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Five-time Olympic gold medallist Carrington won gold in the event at last year’s Tokyo Olympics while Fisher is the reigning world champion.

Fisher didn't race in Tokyo, after withdrawing from Canoe Racing New Zealand's high performance programme in 2020 over athlete welfare concerns.

But the 27-year-old won the K1 500m title at the world championships in Copenhagen, held six weeks after the Tokyo Olympics. With Carrington absent, Fisher beat the Olympic silver and bronze medallists in Denmark.

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