Her name is Lisa Carrington, one of those stars that only the most avid sportsmen can control. This Saturday, she was strolling her queen along the paths of the Vaires-sur-Marne canal, east of Paris, heading for Disneyland, and was delighted to take all the photos that were requested of her, if possible sheltered from the sun. There are more media-friendly athletes, but few as successful as this 35-year-old New Zealand canoeist, belonging to the Maori group Te Aitanga-a-Mahaki, who on the last day of competition in her sport won her third gold, in the K-1 500 metres, and for dessert she scored the Olympic record: 1m 47.36s. She was the oldest in the final and, as almost always, the fastest in calm waters. In the Spanish participation, Antía Jácome finished fourth in the C-1 200 final.
She has won all of her competitions in France (K-4 500, K-2 500 and K-1 500) and has taken her total of golds to eight, as many as Usain Bolt, and one less than gymnast Larisa Latynina and swimmer Katie Ledecky. Her Olympic haul also includes three titles in Tokyo (K-1 200, K-1 500 and K-2 500), one in Rio and one in London (both K-1 200). The oddity in her record is the bronze in the K-1 500 in Brazil.
“She has always been a powerhouse. She is the world reference in canoeing, like Josefa Idem or Birgit Fischer in their time; the one who never fails,” says Teresa Portela, who competed against Carrington in Paris in the K-4 500 metres. In Tuesday’s qualifying series, the Spanish boat – completed by Sara Ouzande, Estefanía Fernández and Carolina García – finished second, behind the New Zealanders, and in Thursday’s final they finished sixth on the day that Carrington inaugurated her triumphant triple.
“A new project that begins, a project that ends up making her world and Olympic champion,” says Portela. “They and we started with a K-4 500. In the 2022 World Championships, we were fourth and they, fifth. In 2023, they finished champions and we, third. And now, the title in Paris,” explains the Galician, silver in K-1 200 in Tokyo, a test in which, of course, Lisa Carrington took gold.
This sport has been one of her favourite sports (she won it in the last three Games, and in nine other World Championships) and, although she has been eliminated from the Olympic programme, she has not cared. She has always managed to continue dominating. “She has known how to reinvent herself. People like her make our sport great. Every teammate who starts with Carrington is guaranteed success,” says Portela, who describes her character as “cordial and respectful.”
A new project that begins, a project that ends up making her a world and Olympic champion.
Teresa Portela, canoeist
The Galician paddler points to the New Zealander’s technique as her distinguishing feature. “She is a strong girl, but on a technical level she makes good use of all the power of her upper and lower body,” says the Spaniard, who has a long history of clashes with the star. “In London 2012, she won her first gold in K-1 200 and I was there.” [fue cuarta]Portela recalls, who in France was the only one who surpassed Lisa Carrington in one way: age (42 years compared to 35).
With that exception, the ocean-going sailor was the oldest of the eight finalists this Saturday in the K-1 500 and of the 16 in the K-2 500. And, of course, she has won all eight times she has been on a boat between heats, semi-finals and finals. She has not conceded a single second place in a heat.
The strategy
An arts graduate with a major in politics and Maori studies, her career took off at a 2009 World Cup in Szeged, Hungary. This Saturday, another veteran (34) from Hungary, Tamara Csipes, pushed her at the start but gave in at the end. “The truth,” Carrington tried to explain about her third gold, “it’s about having the best strategy possible. You may not always see what I’m trying to do, but each race is about building on the next. It’s like a constant search for growth and change. It’s just a matter of using all my physiology and training,” said the New Zealander, who goes on the channel six days a week.
Her eight Olympic golds equal those of Birgit Fischer in canoeing, who won three under the flag of the German Democratic Republic. The determination, technique and competitive fire of the 35-year-old New Zealander prevailed in the K-1 500 final, where more than half of her rivals were under 30. “As time goes by,” says Teresa Portela about Carrington, and by extension about herself, “the most difficult thing is to face the daily demands of the life of an athlete, with many sacrifices. One, two, three years you can sacrifice yourself, but maintaining it is the hardest,” she says. The New Zealander left Paris with as many golds as Simone Biles.
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