KEY POINTS:
Canoeing has provided New Zealand sport with one of its best sources of Olympic medals since 1984, including more golds than sailing, rowing or equestrian in that period. However, that success has come solely from men - a woman is yet to represent New Zealand in the sport
at the Games.
Such gloomy prospects for women aren't halting the ambition of Kiwi Erin Taylor.
It is not that New Zealand's selectors have employed any myopic policies discriminating by gender. That accusation is reserved for the sport's international governing body which has 12 events for men, but just four for women at Olympic flatwater and slalom level. In fact, canoeing has a record of female participation which, while it ranks above boxing, places it level with weightlifting and wrestling.
However, Taylor - a 20 year-old from North Shore Canoeing Club - yesterday qualified for the 'B' final at the world championships in Duisburg, Germany. That result keeps alive a chance for her to compete at Beijing. She now needs a fifth or better in that race (Monday NZT) and, if her Australian opponent does the same, there will be a race-off in Sydney next March for the Olympic berth.
Of the K1 events, only the 500m race is available to women at the Olympics, although Taylor has also been part of the New Zealand K4 500's unsuccessful late bid.
She has always had a watersport background, swimming competitively until she was 13, followed by surf lifesaving and paddling with the Red Beach club. After being inspired by the Athens Olympics, she was selected as a junior to go to Australia in 2005, after which came an offer from veteran national title-holder Katie Pocock to join her in a bid to qualify for Beijing in the K2. The pair made little impact on the international stage last year and Pocock has since missed out on the national squad. Taylor was given an international lifeline in the K1 after winning the 500m and 1000m at this year's national championships.
She's resigned to the fact that that's the reality of being a minor sport.
"Those in the know decided a K4 was the way to go in relation to SPARC funding and looking ahead to London 2012, so that saw our K2 scrapped. But I must admit I love the idea of the K1 because it's just you - I can strive alone for what I want."
Vaughan Skiffington, her coach at Red Beach for the past five years, says while Taylor has a modest and shy exterior it masks a steely self-belief and determination.
"A year ago she went to the world champs as an unknown and it showed in her performances. But over the last year she's realised she can compete against the best and she's still one of the youngest in the K1 500 field."
Taylor has made a big impact on Olympic legend Ian Ferguson, who has worked with her regularly on Lake Pupuke.
"Erin's been a welcome surprise in the way she's progressed - she's set regular personal bests this year, taking seconds off each time. It's her first season in the K1 internationally, yet she was close to making the 'A' final at the World Championships. This time last year you wouldn't have given her a hope."
Taylor says her times have come down consistently. "My goals have been PB oriented. At my first World Cup in Hungary, I made the 'B' final and, while the field at the second World Cup in France was weaker, I was stoked with fifth in the 'A' final, especially seeing I'd done a PB of 1:54 in standard flat conditions. That was four seconds faster than my time in similar conditions in Hungary."
Meanwhile, New Zealand has had some promising results at the World Championships to date.
Overnight, Ben Fouhy is likely to have qualified the K1 1000m for the Olympics. He needs to be in the top eight and is every chance of a medal given his current form.
The K2 1000 of Steven Ferguson and Mike Walker will also have raced their final. They've qualified for Beijing, courtesy of pipping Australia into third by 0.15s in their semifinal.
Likewise, Ferguson has made the 'A' final in the K1 500m. A top eight finish on Monday morning (NZT) would also see him add that to his Olympic programme.
However, the men's K4 1000m and women's K4 500m failed to make 'B' finals, meaning they have missed any chance of qualifying for Beijing.