It’s going to a decider.
The battle for the New Zealand spot in the K1 500 at the Canoe Sprint World Championships is now one-all after Dame Lisa Carrington beat rival Aimee Fisher in their second race on Lake Karāpiro on Sunday morning.
The pair were on form in the water, with Carrington just taking the lead at the end to take the race with a margin of 0.11 seconds.
It was so close that Carrington's coach Gordon Walker thought Fisher had won the race.
It followed Fisher’s stunning victory in race one on Saturday that doubled as the final of the National Championships.
There, Carrington flew out of the gates to lead by more than a boat length before the halfway stage.
But, Fisher possesses a flashing finish and used it to perfection to pip Carrington on the line and win by the bare margin of 0.08 of a second.
The rivalry was built as the clash of the titans – Carrington the reigning Olympic champion and Fisher the world champion. Unfortunately for the pair and Canoe Racing New Zealand, International Canoe Racing Federation rules mean each country can only have one entry per event at the World Championships.
This year’s World Championships will be held in Nova Scotia in August.
The third and deciding race to determine who will get the New Zealand spot will be held on Thursday.
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