Dame Lisa Carrington has drawn first blood in the battle with rival Aimee Fisher to secure the K1 500m seat at this year's world championships.
Dame Lisa has beaten Aimee Fisher in heat one of their head-to-head showdown NZ canoe sprint championships on Lake Karapiro.
She crossed in a time of 1m 49.10s, comfortably ahead of Fisher in 1m 51.40s.
The two will square off again on Saturday, when victory would seal Carrington's spot for the world champs. A win for Fisher would force a decisive third race on Monday.
The two went head-to-head on the water last year, with Fisher winning the first race, before Carrington fought back to claim the final two to lock up her world champs berth. She went on to win the world title in Canada.
Fisher took gold at the same event in 2021, when Carrington bypassed the event to focus on the Tokyo Olympics, where she won three gold medals.
She has her sights on a 13th world championship gold at Druisberg, Germany in August.
