Though Friday’s results are provisional – and selection still needs to be ratified by the International Canoe Federation and the New Zealand Olympic Committee – it could set up a scenario that would stop the nation, if both Carrington and Fisher reach the final.
Fisher didn’t have an opportunity to directly qualify in the K1 via the world championships last year, with regulations allowing only one spot per country and Carrington taking out the national trials.
But Friday was the second chance route. While Canoe Racing New Zealand have yet to confirm squad members – with trials to take place in March – it is accepted that Fisher, who claimed world championship gold in 2021, will be the other K1 entry. It will be only the second time that there have been two Kiwis in the women’s K1 field, after Caitlin Regal joined Carrington in Tokyo.
Fisher and McKenzie, who only teamed up in July last year, put together an impressive race on Friday.
Despite the pressure of the occasion, they started well and extended their advantage from there, with the result never in doubt, against the young Australian crew of Jemma Smith and Jasmine Locke.
The Kiwis crossed the line at 1m44.41s, well ahead of nearest rivals Australia, who were almost 6s further back.
The result vindicates Fisher’s decision in October last year to not trial for a K4 spot, with that boat already qualified.
It was a brave call but the 29-year-old wanted to focus on her K2 and K1 work and knew that a third discipline would compromise that.
“K1 is still a really big dream,” Fisher told the Herald last week. “I’ve been dreaming about the Olympics since I was 12 years old and have some pretty big goals. I just had to go with what felt true to me. I think there was a few people that were like, ‘oh, yeah, this is risky’.”
It meant there was no room for error on Friday but that was a chance she was willing to take.
Now Fisher can look forward to Paris, eight years on from her debut Games appearance in Rio, after pulling out of the programme in 2020 following a dispute with the national body.
Max Brown and Kurtis Imrie also provisionally booked two quota spots in the men’s K2 500m with a second placing (Australia had already qualified for the Olympics), while there could be a further two men’s seats available after James Munro and Kacey Ngataki edged Samoa in the C2 500m event.
