On the opening day of canoe sprinting, New Zealand’s female paddlers had an impressive performance, while some male teammates faced tougher challenges.
Lisa Carrington and Alicia Hoskin successfully advanced to the semi-finals in the women’s K2 500 event after winning their heat against Belgium. They aim to defend the title that Carrington and Caitlin Regal won at the Tokyo Olympics.
However, the other New Zealand women’s K2 500 team, Aimee Fisher and Lucy Matehaere, had a more difficult time. They finished fourth in their heat and needed to compete in the quarter-final. Unfortunately, they placed fifth in the quarter-final, which meant they did not advance.
Carrington and Hoskin also competed in the women’s K4 500 alongside Olivia Brett and Tara Vaughan. This team, which finished fourth in Tokyo, won their heat against Spain and moved directly to the finals. Carrington expressed pride in her team, especially the newcomers Brett and Vaughan, who were racing in their first major competition.
In the men’s events, Max Brown and Grant Clancy participated in the canoe double 500. Although they did not perform well in this event, their main focus was on the men’s K4 500. After a fourth-place finish in their K4 500 heat, they successfully navigated the quarter-final to earn a spot in the semi-finals. They were joined by teammates Hamish Legarth and Kurtis Imrie in the K4 500, who also advanced.
Legarth and Imrie faced a tough quarter-final in the K2 500 but managed to advance to the semi-finals after a close photo finish, edging out Lithuania by just 0.01 seconds.
Overall, New Zealand’s teams showed strong performances, with the women’s K4 500 team reaching the final, one women’s K2 500 team advancing to the semi-finals, and both men’s K2 500 and K4 500 teams securing places in the semi-finals. The day was seen as a success for New Zealand paddling.
