NEW ZEALAND – New Zealand’s world champion kayaker Lisa Carrington has won back-to-back Olympic gold medals on day 11 in Rio.

Carrington powered her way to back-to-back gold in the K1 200m final, cheered on by dozens of animated Kiwis.

The defending champion finished the canoe sprint with a time of 38.864 followed by Poland’s Marta Walczykiewicz, who claimed silver.

The 27-year-old paddler was the only competitor in the final not from Europe or Eastern Europe.

Carrington previously won gold in the canoe sprint for New Zealand in London, and has won four consecutive World Championship titles.

She did not make the best of starts in the K1 200m final, and was third nearing the half way stage.

However she proved her champion status with an impressive run to the line to finish 0.4 seconds ahead of her nearest rival.

It gave New Zealand a third gold medal in Rio, to follow rowers Mahe Drysdale in the single scull and Hamish Bond and Eric Murray in the coxless pair.

Carrington had been the firmest of favourites, not having been beaten in the discipline since stunning the kayak world by winning the world title in Szeged, Hungary in 2011.

She becomes the 13th New Zealander to win consecutive Olympic gold medals and follows fellow paddlers Ian Ferguson and Paul MacDonald who triumphed in 1984 in Los Angeles and four years later in Seoul.

Carrington said it was a “pretty amazing” feeling as she crossed the finish line.

“I didn’t want to celebrate before I saw my name come up on the board, but it was cool. It was probably the most excited and happy I’ve been after a race. ”

Carrington becomes just the fourth New Zealand woman to win multiple Olympic golds after the Evers-Swindell twins and Val Adams.

She will now attempt to become the first woman to win gold medals in individual events at the same Olympic canoe sprint regatta when she competes in the 500m event today.

Carrington said she’s confident about backing up with a medal in the 500m race.

“This is what I’ve been working for and this is why I do it, for the challenge, and it is tough but I mean this is why I’m here.”

She posted an Olympic best time of 39.561s in her semifinal to qualify fastest for the gold medal contest, and won both her heat and her semifinal.

She has not been beaten over the distance in five years.

British bookmakers had the four-time world champion and 2012 gold medallist as favourite, with odds of 1-33.

- PNC