WATCH: Lisa Carrington has joined an elite list of New Zealand Olympians this morning after winning a bronze medal in the K1 500m canoe sprint.

Lisa Carrington has today been sharply reminded how difficult a challenge she'll face tomorrow if she's to complete a golden Rio Olympic kayak double.

WATCH: Kiwi kayak queen Lisa Carrington 'stoked' as she powers her way to back-to-back Olympic gold medals.

Lisa Carrington will start favourite to defend her Olympic canoe sprint title after explosive performances in the opening K1 200m opening races in Rio.

Kayaker Lisa Carrington is regarded as the rock star of her sport in Europe and is hunted down and mobbed for her autograph her mum says

Rio canoe slalom silver medallist Luuka Jones expects the next generation of Kiwi paddlers to make waves in the sport now that the country has its own whitewater venue.

Surprise silver as Tauranga-born Luuka Jones wins Olympic silver medal in the canoe slalom.

What started as an innovative Olympic fundraiser has turned into a humanitarian campaign by New Zealand Olympic kayaker Mike Dawson. The

The hard work is done for kayaker Lisa Carrington; now it's managing the last bit of fine tuning before attempting to win two Olympic medals in Rio.

Lisa Carrington's bid for double gold came up a second short at the opening World Cup regatta in Duisburg, Germany last night.

You look along the line at your rivals. What's going through your mind?

If the Olympics aren't enough of a challenge, Kayaker Mike Dawson has sought adventure in some of the world's roughest spots

Kiwi kayaker Teneale Hatton will appeal her non-selection for his year's Olympics.

Carrington headlines a six-strong canoe sprint team to compete at Rio 2016, with the gold medallist selected alongside five paddlers set to make their Olympics debut.

Aldeyjarfoss is Iceland's most famous waterfall in kayaking circles, and for a few years was held in the Guinness World Record for the highest free-fall in a kayak. It has only been paddled by a handful of kayakers and is renowned for dishing out serious beatings including broken bones. Source: Red Bull/Youtube

Ben and Anton adventure through more of the Icelandic wilderness in search of more perfect waterfalls. They settle on Godafoss. Godafoss translates to ‘Waterfall of the Gods’. It got its name during early Christian times in Iceland when Norse deities were thrown into the falls in an effort to establish Christianity as the sole religion of the country. These days it is a tourist hot spot and one of the most famous waterfalls in Iceland. There are several lines to run on Godafoss due to its horseshoe shape and we ran it multiple times. It varies in height from 10 - 14 meters tall and no matter what time of the day you run it you will have a huge crowd of tourists cheering you on. Source: Red Bull/youtube

Kayaker Ben Brown and Anton Immler head over to the Kayaking mecca of Iceland to explore some of the natural wonders and pick off some classic waterfalls along the way. Ben's first stop was the waterfall Thjofafoss which translates to the ‘Waterfall of Thieves’ - it got its name form Pagan times when thieves were drowned in the waterfall for their crimes. It is approximately 14 meters tall and is more impressive for its volume rather than its height. Source: Red Bull/YouTube

A brilliant paddle from New Zealand kayaker Mike Dawson has put him in pole position at the canoe slalom world championships.

Lisa Carrington is once again an Olympic champion. In this profile from last year, she admits that talking about her impressive build is not her favourite pastime.

An emphasis on improving their physical strength was a key part of the New Zealand women's K4 crew making leaps forward this year and qualifying for the Olympic Games.

One is the fashion capital of the world, the other is, well, in Canada, but Milan and Vancouver are connected by a pair of sporting trendsetters.

A rampant Lisa Carrington snared her own slice of history, easily defending her K1 200m title at the canoe racing world championships in Milan tonight.

Lisa Carrington has verified her quest to achieve double gold at the Rio Olympics by winning her maiden K1 500m.

Just how far Lisa Carrington has travelled in her sport will become apparent tonight.