Photo: Iain McGregor / www.photosport.nz
New Zealand kayak legend Dame Lisa Carrington will race internationally this year.
Earlier this year Dame Lisa confirmed that she would skip the 2025 international season to prepare herself for an attempt to compete at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
However the eight-time Olympic champion will return to international competition at the Canoe Sprint World Championships in Milan, Italy later this month.
With only 18 days to go until the flagship event begins, Dame Lisa will replace fellow Paris 2024 gold medallist Olivia Brett in the women's kayak four, after the latter sustained an injury in training.
Dame Lisa did not race the first two World Cups of the season in Szeged and Poznan.
The 36-year-old has already joined the team in Italy.
"This is a really tough situation for Olivia, and our thoughts are with her as she begins her recovery," said Canoe Racing New Zealand's general manager of performance Nathan Luce.
"We're fortunate to have someone of Lisa's calibre available to step in. While she hasn't competed internationally this year, she's maintained full-time training and is in race-ready form."
The new K4 team for New Zealand will feature Dame Lisa, Alicia Hoskin, Tara Vaughan, and Lucy Matehaere, as they aim to clinch gold at the Idroscalo Regatta Course.
Dame Lisa led Brett, Hoskin, and Vaughan to the gold medal at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 in the K4 500m.
The victory saw her equal the record title tally of Germany's Birgit Fischer, which had stood for 20 years.
The K4 500m title in Paris was New Zealand's first, ending a 40-year domination by Germany and Hungary in the event at the Games.
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