At 27 years of age, Lisa Carrington is the third woman to win the supreme Halberg Award in the past ten years. The Queen of New Zealand sport has just returned home from the World Cup in Portugal before she heads off to the world champs. Despite her impressive track record, the Olympian continues to improve her stroke.
Even as a world champion, Lisa Carrington looks for flaws to perfect.
Lisa Carrington (Te Aitanga a Mahaki) says, "There's some things I need to work on, things like strength and endurance, which is amazing because some of the paddlers I'm training with have some amazing and are really good at that."
For the past six months, the K1 paddler has thrown herself into a team environment, alongside the New Zealand K4 Women's side.
Carrington says, "I guess in the last 4 years I've been a k1 paddler on my own, I've been the one person who has decided my fate, every day I turn up if I don't put it in no one else will."
The NZ Women's K4 team have just returned from the World Cup in Portugal. Now they're focusing on the World Championships in the Czech Republic next month and are depending on her leadership.
Carrington says, "I bring a bit of experience I am the oldest, in the boat been around a little bit longer, I think everyone does bring their separate importance into the boat."
Receiving a bronze in the K1 500 at last year's Olympics has pushed her to do better next time round, which means no rest.
Carrington says, "Recently went to Europe to race in World cup. Coming into this next cycle leading into Tokyo we're lucky there's an amazing platform of females paddling really well."
Despite her busy schedule, the Te Aitanga a Mahaki descendant has made time to acknowledge her Māori culture and thanks her supporters at tonight's Matariki Awards.