By 3 News online staff
New Zealand’s Lisa Carrington has won the gold medal in the women’s K1 200m sprint final at the London Olympics.
The 23-year-old paddler finished in 44.638s, ahead of Ukraine's Inna Osypenko-Radomska (45.053s) in silver position and Hungary's Natasa Douchev-Janics (45.128s) in bronze.
Carrington, originally from Ohope in the Bay of Plenty, was the fastest qualifier for the medal race after setting a new Olympic best time in her semi-final.
Her coach Gordon Walker says he couldn’t be more proud of her.
“She has shown enormous maturity under immense pressure. She has worked so hard and she didn’t panic at the crunch point. She stuck to her plan, got in front and held on,” he says.
New Zealand’s newest Olympic gold medallist says she just did what comes naturally to her.
“I lined up at the start thinking, ‘I’m just going to go as hard as I can’.
“I knew I had everyone from back home behind me and I gave it my all.”
Carrington’s gold medal is New Zealand’s fifth at the London 2012 Olympics. All of New Zealand’s gold medals so far have come from events on the water.
3 News/NZN