New Zealand set to launch World Champs quest

Lisa Carrington strikes gold in the K1 Women’s 200m at the 2018 World Championships

A New Zealand team boasting an exciting blend of youth and experience are set to hit the water at the 2019 ICF Canoe Sprint and Paracanoe World Championships to be staged in Szeged, Hungary (Aug 21-25).

All five Kiwi medallists from last year’s World Championships return for the 2019 edition while the nine-strong squad also contains three paddlers set to make their open World Championship debuts.

Lisa Carrington (Eastern Bay) is entered in the women’s K1 200m having snared the past six world titles and past two Olympic Games in the her pet event. The 30-year-old paddler is unbeaten over the distance for seven years and in May demonstrated her class by claiming an emphatic K1 200m win at the ICF World Cup regatta in Poznan

Lisa also competes in the K1 500m for New Zealand. The 2015 world champion secured silver at last year’s event in Portugal – finishing behind Hungary’s double Olympic K1 500m champion Danuta Kozak – and the Kiwi claimed a confidence boosting win in her most recent K1 500m international appearance at the World Cup in Poznan.

The eight-time world champion will also form one quarter of New Zealand talented women’s K4 500m team alongside Kayla Imrie (Mana), Caitlin Ryan (North Shore) and Aimee Fisher (Hawkes Bay).

At the 2018 World Championships the quartet produced an inspired paddle to win silver, finishing just one hundredth of a second behind the powerhouse Hungarian crew, in a titanic tussle.

This same Kiwi foursome served notice of their form earlier this season when claiming a decisive World Cup win in Poznan.

Caitlin Ryan and Alicia Hoskin team up for New Zealand in the K2 500m boat. Caitlin is a hugely experienced K2 500m performer; snaring a gold and a silver medal in the discipline alongside Lisa Carrington at the past two World Championships.

Caitlin teams up with Alicia, who makes her open World Championships debut. The 19-year-old Poverty Bay paddler gained huge experience earlier this year by competing in the Kiwi K4 500m boat at the ICF World Cups in Poznan and Duisburg. In her most recent competitive display, Alicia finished eighth in the A Final as part of the women’s U23 K4 500m crew at the ICF Junior and U23 Canoe Sprint World Championships in Pitesti, Romania.

Para canoeist Scott Martlew will lead the men’s challenge after enjoying another outstanding year. The Christchurch-based leg amputee won a silver medal in the KL2 200m at the 2018 World Championships behind Australia’s Curtis McGrath in Portugal. This season he has continued to impress, claiming an eye-catching KL2 200m victory in the ICF World Cup in Poznan and he will once again be expected to feature.

Max Brown (Whanganui) and Kurtis Imrie (Mana) – younger brother of Kayla – will also make their open World Championship debuts following a breakthrough international campaign.

The pair will feature in the men’s K2 1000m – the event where the duo finished an impressive eighth in the A Final at the ICF World Cup in Poznan. Earlier this month in Romania, Imrie further underlined his current form by winning a World Championships U23 bronze medal in the K1 500m.

Completing the New Zealand team is Quaid Thompson (Poverty Bay), who lines up for his second open World Championship appearance in the K1 1000m and K1 5000m events.

Canoe Racing NZ CEO Tom Ashley said: “The World Championships are the pinnacle event for our athletes each year, presenting the opportunity to race against the best athletes in the world when everybody is looking to be in peak shape. The year before the Olympic Games, competition is even more fierce as nations compete for Olympic qualification.

“This year we have a great mix of seasoned performers and new talent. It’s fantastic that three athletes are making their World Championships debuts and we are excited to see them take this opportunity. We look forward to seeing our team test themselves, and others, on the water. We know they will represent New Zealand and our sport with pride.”

On day one of the 2019 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships, which begin on Wednesday (Aug 21), Scott Martlew starts his quest in the men’s KL2 200m heats. Meanwhile, Lisa Carrington competes in the heats of the women’s K1 200m.

Day One Kiwis in action

Wednesday
7.10pm – Scott Martlew Heats of the Men’s KL2 200m
10.25pm – Scott Martlew Semi-Finals of the Men’s KL2 200m

Thursday

3.10am – Lisa Carrington Heats of the Women’s K1 200m

Follow all the action on https://www.canoeicf.com/