Fire still burns for Lisa Fire still burns for Lisa
| Author | KAYAKING Michael Burgess |
| Published date | 08 November 2021 |
| Publication title | Daily Post, The (Rotorua, New Zealand) |
Although it is a long way out, Carrington could target the K1 500m, K2 500m and K4 500m at the next Games.
“I definitely want to continue individually and I want to be a part of a team,” Carrington told Jason Pine on Newstalk ZB.
“I love both. I love working in a team, and I also love challenging myself on my own.
“If we can get a K4 together, that would be awesome. [And] a K2, absolutely.
“We just have to figure out what our best options are as a sport [because] we’re not that big in New Zealand.”
But Carrington admitted it is still hard to accept that she won’t be able to race for a fourth K1 200m title in 2024, after the event was cut to make room for extreme canoe slalom competitions.
“It makes me realise that the sport is quite political and you are at the whim of the leadership of the sport,” said Carrington.
“I want to make sure that I give myself good opportunities that aren’t always dictated by those decisions made by people in high places.”
Carrington took her first step towards the Paris Games last week, as she resumed full training at Lake Pupuke, after a few weeks building her fitness base.
“I was having a break during this lockdown and I cut it short a few weeks because having something to wake up for, a purpose, is super important,” said Carrington.
Last month, the 32-year-old confirmed should would continue for another Olympic cycle.
Like many athletes, she had felt the pressure to make a call from a long way out, accentuated after her remarkable Tokyo deeds.
“There’s an expectation that you have to make a decision after every Games, to stick to those cycles,” said Carrington. “I probably decided about a year ago that I could still keep going but I had almost forgotten about that decision when I finished Tokyo, with everything that was going on in the last year.”
It was a robust process, necessary to ensure that such a significant commitment was being undertaken for the right reasons.
“I guess the decision wasn’t hard to make but it was challenging to really explore all the things that I was...
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