The New Zealand Kayaking team enjoyed another solid day in Tokyo.
\nThe women\u2019s K4 500m crew produced an assured performance in their heat on Friday, grabbing second place to ensure automatic progression to the semi-final.
\nIn their first outing together at the Sea Forest Waterway, the group of Lisa Carrington, Alicia Hoskin, Caitlin Regal and Teneale Hatton were comfortable and composed, crossing the line just behind the powerful Hungarian crew and well ahead of the rest of the field.
\nThe result means the New Zealand team remains on track in the Japanese capital.
\nCarrington has already carved her name in folklore, with a staggering three gold medals, while Caitlin Regal became the latest Kiwi Olympic champion.
\nNew Zealand are now working towards one more big effort in the bigger boat, arguably the most competitive Olympic kayaking event.The K4 500m semi finals are scheduled for 1.07 and 1:14pm (NZT) on Saturday, with the top four in each semi-final progressing to the final at 3:19pm (NZT).
\nIt was another strong effort on Friday, particularly from Carrington and Regal. The 32-year-old Carrington already had a staggering nine races behind her at these championships, while Regal was backing up after six.
\n\u201cThis morning was pretty daunting waking up but I have so much faith in these girls,\u201d Carrington told Sky Television. \u201cI can draw on their strength. I trust them so much. The team has been so amazing and it’s so easy to just get out there.\u201d
\nRegal was similarly thrilled to get the band back together.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s pretty cool to finally be able to get into that big boat,\u201d said Regal. \u201cWe’ve all been in different events but we’ve stayed tight as a team.\u201d
\nNew Zealand had claimed K4 500m silver at the 2018 world championships, but Friday\u2019s race was the first major outing for this particular quartet.
\n\u201cWith this crew…we haven’t had an international race before, so we were going into the unknown a little bit,\u201d explained Carrington. \u201cIt was just good to get that start and have a good rhythm throughout the race. I\u2019m proud of these girls.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 31-year-old Hatton said the remarkable deeds of her teammates across the week had offered extra inspiration.
\n\u201cSeeing these girls out there crushing it in K1 and K2 gives you confidence when you know you are jumping in the boat with them,\u201d said Hatton.
\nNew Zealand was drawn in a tough heat, with the gold (Hungary) and silver (Belarus) medallists from the last world championships in 2019.
\nBut they showed no fear, sticking to the race plan, as they made a customary strong start, the quickest to react out of the buckets.
\nK4 boats are easy to unsettle, but the Kiwis showed good rhythm, with Carrington and Hoskin at the front and Regal and Hatton in the engine room.
\nThey were first at 250m mark in 46.06 \u2013 0.68 seconds ahead of defending Olympic champions Hungary, with Belarus 1.04 seconds behind.
\nThe Belarussians, who had claimed bronze in Rio, tried to lift the tempo but couldn\u2019t make any inroads on the Kiwis, who maintained their pace well. Hungary\u2019s all-star crew \u2013 featuring Danuta Kozak and Tamara Csipes \u2013 came to the fore in the final 150m \u2013 but New Zealand were comfortable in second, to finish in 1:33.959, the third fastest time of the day. They finished 0.624 seconds behind the Hungarians, who recorded 1:33.335.
\n2019 world championship bronze medallists Poland won heat two in 1:33.468, followed by Germany (1:34.681).<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The New Zealand Kayaking team enjoyed another solid day in Tokyo. The women\u2019s K4 500m crew produced an assured performance in their heat on Friday, grabbing second place to ensure automatic progression to the semi-final. In their first outing together at the Sea Forest Waterway, the group of Lisa Carrington, Alicia Hoskin, Caitlin Regal and … <\/p>\n