Lisa Carrington, New Zealand’s five-time Olympic champion, started strong in the canoe sprint events at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium. On Tuesday, Lisa Carrington won both the two- and four-person kayak heats, reinforcing her title as “the GOAT (greatest of all time) in the boat.”
Lisa Carrington first led her four-woman crew to victory in the 500-metre kayak heat before dominating the kayak double heat later in the day. Lisa Carrington’s consistent performance underscores her exceptional talent and preparation.
The canoe sprint events are being held at the same venue east of Paris as the rowing regatta that concluded last Saturday. Serbia set an Olympic record in the four-man kayak with a time of 1:20.99, surpassing Spain’s previous best from the Tokyo Games. Germany then broke this record in the second heat with a time of 1:20.51, securing direct qualification for the final along with second-placed Spain, while other teams will head to the quarterfinals.
Tuesday’s program included a mix of kayak and canoe races for two- and four-person crews over a 500m distance, with distinct paddling styles. Kayakers use a two-sided paddle, whereas canoeists kneel and use a single paddle.
In the women’s canoe heats, China’s reigning Olympic champions Xu Shixiao and Sun Mengya finished more than a second ahead of Ukraine’s Liudmyla Luzan and Anastasiia Rybachok. The Canadian duo of Sloan Mackenzie and Katie Vincent set the fastest time of 1:54.16, breaking the Olympic record.
Sun Mengya spoke about the pressures of competing but emphasized their focus on execution. “It’s obvious that we have a lot of pressure at these Olympic Games, but the things that we are prepared to do is just to show our best, to try our best, with no regrets,” she said.
Australian kayakers Tom Green and Jean van der Westhuyzen, who won their heat, reflected on their competitive mindset. “We kind of have a little motto. We just want to be like a dog on a bone out there, we just want to go for it,” Van der Westhuyzen said. “Whether we come first or last, at least we know we tried.”
The sprint racing continues on Wednesday, with the first medals set to be awarded on Thursday. As the competition progresses, fans can expect more thrilling performances from the world’s top canoe sprint athletes.
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