Arguably New Zealand’s greatest ever Olympian, Dame Lisa Carrington is the best in the canoe sprint game. 

She’s brought home a staggering total of nine medals across four Olympic Games, eight of them gold, and one bronze, dominating the water. 

Despite her massive success, Carrington doesn’t believe this is the best she’s capable of, telling Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking that you have to be able to look beyond the finish line or gold medal and set yourself other goals. 

“If I thought that winning a gold medal was my best, I would’ve stopped in London. I would’ve stopped after Rio, I would’ve stopped after Tokyo.” 

Carrington has been competing for over a decade now, but it’s taken her up until this year’s Games to have 100% joy and satisfaction in racing. 

“I think a lot of the time I’ve raced in the past, and it’s been out of just needing to win, just because that’s the expectation on me,” she told Hosking. 

“But for Paris, I’ve managed to get to a place where I was like, you know what, I’m just gonna do my best.” 

And doing her best panned out, with Carrington netting a total of three gold medals in the 2024 Games. 

Photo / Jason Oxenham

There comes a point in every successful athlete's career where the question on everyone’s mind is: what’s next?  

Carrington is currently at the top of her game and has no plans on stopping here, but when it comes to the next steps, she’s unsure whether she wants to leave while on top or not.  

“Being in the position I am, you know, being the fastest I’ve ever been, strongest, whatever, it is hard to think ‘Oh maybe I’ll stop now,’” Carrington said. 

“Because well, what else is there?”  

Every competition is different, each Olympic Games different again from the last, and when it comes to the next steps, Carrington thinks it would need to be a different challenge once more. 

And when it comes to new and different challenges, Carrington has fulfilled a goal she’s had since Tokyo: writing a children's book. 

Lisa Carrington Chases a Champion is aimed at 4-9 year olds, and details the journey of eight year old Lisa having a goal, the journey of achieving it, and the challenges along the way. 

“There's so many little messages in there from, you know, about... a little bit about discipline or having a plan, but also that, you know, there are challenges, and you have to keep turning up.” 

It’s the first of what Carrington hopes to be a series, with her leaving the ending open for another journey. 

“Too many lessons to learn and relearn.” 

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