Lisa Carrington will begin her bid for a ninth world title at this week's Canoe world championships in Hungary.
Lisa Carrington Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Carrington is chasing her seventh world title in her favoured event the the K1 200m, in which she has also won the past two Olympic Games titles.
The 30-year-old paddler is unbeaten over the distance for seven years and in May demonstrated her class by claiming an emphatic K1 200m win at the World Cup regatta in Poznan.
Carrington will also contest the K1 500m for New Zealand.
The 2015 world champion secured silver at last year's event in Portugal - finishing behind Hungary's double Olympic K1 500m champion Danuta Kozak.
Carrington will also race in the K4 500m team alongside Kayla Imrie, Caitlin Ryan and Aimee Fisher.
The K4 won silver at last year's world champs, finishing just one hundredth of a second behind Hungary and enjoyed a decisive World Cup win in Poznan.
All five New Zealand medallists from last year's World Champs return this year while the nine-strong squad also contains three paddlers set to make their open World Championship debuts.
Caitlin Ryan and Alicia Hoskin team up for New Zealand in the K2 500m boat.
Caitlin Ryan, Aimee Fisher, Kayla Imrie and Lisa Carrington K4 500. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Ryan is an experienced K2 500m performer having won a gold and silver medal at the past two world champs having raced with Carrington but will now pair up with 19 year old Hoskin.
Para canoeist Scott Martlew will lead the men's challenge.
The Christchurch-based leg amputee won a silver medal in the KL2 200m at the 2018 World Championships.
Max Brown and Kurtis Imrie - younger brother of Kayla - will also make their open World Championship debuts featuring in the men's K2 1000m.
Completing the New Zealand team is Quaid Thompson, who lines up for his second open World Championship appearance in the K1 1000m and K1 5000m events.
Lisa Carrington and Scott Martlew are in action on the opening day of competition tonight.