Lisa Carrington

Lisa Carrington MNZM (born 23 June 1989) is a New Zealand flatwater canoeist. She won gold in the Women's K-1 200 metres at the 2012 Summer Olympics and 2016 Summer Olympics, as well as gold in the same event at the 2011 Canoe Sprint World Championships.

Born in Tauranga, Carrington was raised in Ōhope, a satellite town of Whakatane in the eastern Bay of Plenty, and is of Te Aitanga-a-Māhaki and Ngāti Porou descent. She attended Whakatane High School, and Massey University in Albany. Her partner is Michael Buck.

In June 2009 she won a bronze medal at the World Cup regatta held in Szeged, Hungary, competing alongside Teneale Hatton in the women's K-2 1000 metres event. In May 2010 the pair won the gold medal in the same event at a World Cup regatta in Vichy, France.

Carrington and Hatton won three gold medals at the 2010 Oceania Canoe Championships; they won the 500 and 1000 metres K-2 events and were joined by Rachael Dodwell and Erin Taylor to win the K-4 500 metres. The pair became the first New Zealanders ever to reach a World Championship A final at the ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in Poznań, Poland;. Their time of one minute 42.365 seconds in the semi-finals meant they qualified third fastest for the final of the K-2 500 metres, however they finished the final in ninth position.

At the 2011 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in Szeged, Carrington won the gold medal in the women's K–1 200 metres event; and became the first New Zealand woman to win a canoeing World Championship title. The result secured an Olympic qualification berth for New Zealand. She was also honoured with the Māori Senior Sports Woman of the Year Award. At the 2019 Canoe Sprint World Championships in Szeged, Carrington won gold medals in the K1 500 metre and K1 200 metre events.

At the 2012 Oceania Championships, Carrington won gold medals in the K-1 200 metres and in the K-2 200 metres with Erin Taylor.

Carrington represented New Zealand at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom In the K-2 500 metres, Carrington and Taylor finished 7th, and in the K-1 200 metres Carrington won the gold medal.

At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, she defended her gold medal in the K-1 200 metres event and won a bronze medal in the K-1 500 metres event. In doing so, she became the first New Zealand woman to win multiple medals at the same Olympic games. Carrington was the flag bearer at the 2016 closing ceremony. She is coached by Gordon Walker.

Carrington was named as New Zealand's senior Māori sportswoman and overall Māori sportsperson of the year in November 2012. In the 2013 New Year Honours, she was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to kayaking. In 2014, Carrington was named the NEXT Woman of the Year in the Sport category. At the 2016 Halberg Awards, she won the Sportswoman of the Year and also won the Supreme Award.

On 11 February 2021, Carrington was named the most influential Māori sports personality of the past 30 years in the Māori Sports Awards 30 in 30 show, aired on Māori Television.

Carrington is an athlete ambassador for Beef and Lamb New Zealand, alongside Eliza McCartney, Sophie Pascoe and Sarah Walker. She is also an ambassador for Southern Cross Health Society.