Introduction

I was born on the 20th of February 2005 on Auckland's North Shore. I have always loved sports and physical activity,and have participated in a wide range of sports from a young age.

I started kayaking in 2017 and enjoyed the junior coaching sessions at the North Shore Canoe Club (NSCC) on Lake Pupuke. With guidance from NSCC's international coach Gavin Elmiger, I have steadily progressed and at the New Zealand Canoe Sprint Champs in May 2021, I placed in first position in both the U16 and U18 K1 and K2 races, having just turned 16 in February.

Alongside kayaking, I have been involved at the Mairangi Bay Surf Life Saving Club since 2018. After beginning as a Rookie lifeguard, I progressed into the senior division of Surf Sport, specialising in the Surf Ski event. The surf ski enables me to train and build paddling skills which complements both sports, giving variety to my training regime.

Surf life saving also enables me to give back to the community, and I have volunteer many hours each season as a lifeguard.

I aim for excellence in everything I do, and gained an Excellence Endorsement in Level 1 NCEA. I have represented Carmel College in athletics, touch rugby and tag rugby, and was awarded the Carmel College Junior School Cup for Athletics in 2019, as well as the Blues Awards for kayaking, athletics and surf lifesaving in 2019 and 2020. I have been an active volunteer and leader at Carmel College, and am part of the schools Sports Council and a Tuakana Leader mentoring new students. I also volunteer as a coach for the Carmel College Year 7 and 8 touch rugby team.

Canoe Racing

Sprint Racing takes place in flat water, paddlers race on a straight course with each boat in a separate lane, over different distances.

This form of racing became an Olympic discipline in 1936. There are kayak events for 200m, 500m and 1000m for women, in single (K1), double (K2) and four-person boats (K4).

Lisa Carrington has put New Zealand on the world map with outstanding success internationally for this sport, and of course you can not forget she is now New Zealand's greatest Olympian!