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December 19, 2024 11 mins

Dame Lisa Carrington is New Zealand's most decorated Olympian, having won a total of eight gold medals and one bronze medal up to this point in her career. 

Carrington was appointed a Dame Companion to the New Zealand Order of Merit for services in 2022. 

Joining Matt and Tyler Afternoons, Carrington discusses the past year of sport, which saw her soar at the Paris Games. 

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Speaker 1 (00:09):
You're listening to a podcast from News Talks'd be follow
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Speaker 2 (00:16):
Dame Lisa Carrington is our most successful Olympian ever, having
won a total of eight gold medals and one bronze
medal during her career to date. Further to all of
those Olympic medals, in twenty twenty two, she was appointed
a Dame Companion to the New Zealand Order of Merit
for services to canoe racing and to all of us.
She's earned the title of Goat in the Boat. It

(00:38):
is a great pleasure to welcome Dame Lisa Carrington on
for our Great New Zealanders of Christmas series.

Speaker 3 (00:44):
Lisa, their paras Olympic campaign was so special for us
at home, we were most proud back here. How special
was it for you over there?

Speaker 4 (00:51):
Ah? Incredible? I think it was. I mean there was
a lot of hard work that went into obviously the
lead up and then to be able to have a
week of just feeling like so confident, compassionate for the
team and grateful. I think it was like a I
mean it was a real I mean I look back

(01:13):
on it with roasting the glasses because everything went so well,
but it was it was really special. So I think
it was just so rewarding to kind of get to
a place which that we were really proud of.

Speaker 2 (01:24):
Yeah, you had a mess of big Kiwi contingency over
their Lisa being in Paris and Europe, that would have
been pretty amazing.

Speaker 4 (01:31):
Yeah, it was amazing. I think I've done enough Olympics
for my friends to figure out that it's probably they've
got it, you know, got a bit older, got a
bit more money and were able to turn up. But
also yeah, that we had obviously our team, the teammates
also had their family and friends. So it was awesome.
And I think one day when I can be a supporter,

(01:54):
I can't wait to, you know, have the fun that
they have.

Speaker 3 (01:59):
That seems like a long Does it seem like a
long time ago to you? The Paris Olympic Games. I
mean it was July August, but it's been such a
big year and it was such a big event. It
was like it feels like years ago to me, but
it might be different for you.

Speaker 4 (02:13):
Yeah, I mean I guess every day I'm kind of exposed,
so you know, it has still it's a long tail,
I feel, and so but it is. I mean, looking back,
what is it like four months? And that's kind of
how long when we left New Zealand that last stint
and to Paris it was four months. Yeah, So yeah,

(02:36):
if you look if I look at it like that, absolutely,
I guess time warps, doesn't it. It's the pins how
you look at it. But yeah, I mean that's what's
been incredible about Paris Is. It's felt like it's kept
going a bit, which has been awesome. I guess I've
been out in the community and embracing it a bit,
so I think that's probably why it doesn't feel that
long ago.

Speaker 1 (02:56):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (02:58):
And last time I saw your gold medals, I believe
they were in a pillowcase and your bronze where are
they at the moment.

Speaker 4 (03:05):
I've actually got one in my car love Bomp and
just in case because I seem to forget it. Every
time I go somewhere they're like, what did you bring
your medal? And I often say no, so I've left
it there And yeah, the others, I don't know. They're
in a cupboard somewhere, maybe still in the bag because
the last time I took them somewhere else.

Speaker 3 (03:27):
I don't know, yeah, people need that stolen vellin moment.
I've had it with your medals where you where you
put them on even though you did nothing to do
in them. As a New Zealander, we all feel like
we partially and we feel proud, so we kind of
feel partially like theres as well.

Speaker 4 (03:43):
Oh absolutely, I mean if you think about it, you know,
sport is so important to New Zealand and our government
support high performance Olympic sports, so absolutely they are a
part of every New Zealander and so that's what it's about.
And I think the Olympics have such a special time,
you know, just that Christmas, but to come together and

(04:06):
just kind of really celebrate the New Zealand, to show
off like what we have overseas and be a part
of that big Kiwi drive, it's cool. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (04:14):
Now, I know you're a very humble personally, so but
do you ever put all the medals on and just
look in the mirror and say how Yeah?

Speaker 4 (04:25):
No, no I haven't. Actually I'm quite keen to kind of, yeah,
put them all together and see what that feels like
and just look, you know, it's over many years of
performing and training and that type of thing. So I
guess it's just it just tells a really cool story.
They're just amazing points in time every four years. Besides,

(04:49):
you know COVID but to like reflect and focus on.
So yeah, I don't look in the mirror quite good.

Speaker 3 (04:58):
You're having an argument with your partner and then you
just go into the room and come back with all
the meddles on how many of you?

Speaker 4 (05:05):
Now, Yeah, he would be like, would you have caught
those without me? Yeah?

Speaker 2 (05:15):
Are you?

Speaker 3 (05:15):
Are you doing any training at the moment?

Speaker 4 (05:18):
Yeah, Like, I've been out on the water and keeping fit,
So I just can't help myself, to be honest. It's
I mean, it's been such great weather. Yeah, we've had
a odd bad day, but yeah, I just can't wait
to get into Christmas and right into summer and get
out on the ocean and surf and all the fun stuff.

Speaker 3 (05:41):
Well, last last time I talked to you, I asked
if you ever get in a kayak at a resort
and show people what you've got? And then and then
I saw a picture of you doing exactly that.

Speaker 4 (05:51):
Yeah, I know, I got roped into a little bit
of a competition, and I then we started doing really well.
And then when things are going well, you get more
like into it and considered. So yes, I was at
a resort in Fiji and we were.

Speaker 1 (06:10):
That's too good, so good.

Speaker 2 (06:12):
We are joined by Dame Lisa Carrington as part of
our great New Zealanders of Christmas series.

Speaker 3 (06:17):
Now Lisa as Christmas a cheap day for you, even
in the build up to a big regatta.

Speaker 4 (06:25):
Yeah, I mean I love Christmas. I think it's we
were just looking at the menu we're going to have
for Christmas and I thought, you know, like there's no
point in putting those dessert those salads on the table
that aren't tasty, you know, the bean salads or you know.
So I was like, you know, we've got to go
all in on just having an amazing feed. And yeah,

(06:48):
so you know, there's some's an amazing time though, right
Like I look back and I think of my grandmother.
She would always would make a trifle or brandy snaps
or you know, pebble over. So I think it's such
a cool time. So like we benefit of tradition as well.

Speaker 3 (07:03):
Do you have a Carrington special family dish? I just
help my partner her family dish and it was a
sort of a it was an atrocity. Really there was
a lot of mashed potato and chicken soup max and
chips on.

Speaker 1 (07:18):
Top of it.

Speaker 3 (07:20):
Uh.

Speaker 2 (07:20):
Weent down a treat though, didn't it.

Speaker 3 (07:24):
I didn't need any of it. Her family seemed to
love it. So is there a carring special?

Speaker 4 (07:31):
Yeah, we have. Mum always makes this amazing like cheese dip.
She calls it elephant dung because it looks like it's green,
you know, and it's got a ton of cheese. So
that's something that she's in charge of this Christmas.

Speaker 3 (07:49):
Yeah, it's lovely, the elephant dung, the elephant elephant.

Speaker 2 (07:53):
Love the name. Obviously you're you're an author now too,
with your beautiful children's book Lisa Carrington Chases a Champion.
Had you had that in your head for some time?

Speaker 4 (08:03):
I think I've always wanted to do something like that.
I've always wanted to find a way where I could
share some messaging or lessons, and I've always wanted to
help you do it for kids. So when I guess
I was presented with the opportunity from my publisher who
yea they, I was like, you know what, this is
the perfect time, And I guess when you get the

(08:26):
finished products that comes out. You know, the illustrators done
their work and I'm like, wow, I could not have
done that on my own. Obviously they helped me immensely
through it, and yeah, like it's such a cool it's
such a cool thing to be able to do. It's
just all those little lessons that I've kind of learned
and put it in a way that you know, it's

(08:46):
not just for kids. It's for like for dad or
for mom or Andi's and uncles to read and go,
oh yeah, those are really cool little techniques or what
a great little lesson. So yeah, that's cool.

Speaker 3 (08:58):
And a break in the real timeline. Your dog Colin
appears right through right through the story. And I've got
a dog called Colin as well. And we've talked about
this before. What do your views on Christmas presents for pets?
Are you getting Colin anything?

Speaker 1 (09:16):
Well?

Speaker 4 (09:17):
I thought about this and because we don't have any children,
my mom and my husband's mums mother in law Colin again,
you know what, I'm not going to get an.

Speaker 2 (09:32):
You can't ever spoil Colin.

Speaker 4 (09:34):
That's right, He's got to know his place.

Speaker 3 (09:37):
We had a weird thing at Christmas last year with
this wasn't a dog food toy or anything. It didn't
have any smell. But Colin, the only presence that he
ripped open under the tree was his own present. He's
smart dog, He's very Smart's something in the name Colin,
He's somehow.

Speaker 4 (09:54):
I'd say, yeah.

Speaker 2 (09:56):
Now, because it is Christmas, Lisa, what is your favorite
Christmas song and your best Christmas movie?

Speaker 3 (10:04):
Oh?

Speaker 4 (10:04):
I love I mean I love them. Why I carry
Christmas Plassic Yeah, classic? And then Christmas Movie I really
love Love Actually, yeah, I don't. That's a Christmas movie,
isn't it.

Speaker 3 (10:17):
Yeah, it's a Christmas movie. There's lots of Christmas in there. Yeah, definitely, No,
that counts a Christmas movie. Great movie.

Speaker 4 (10:23):
Yeah, I can. And it's always playing around this time
of year on TV, so you can always catch it.

Speaker 3 (10:28):
Yeah, and you only really watch it this time of year,
but Christmas. But it's definitely sort of it's like Michael
Bubli year. Yeah, it pops up like Michael Bublet.

Speaker 2 (10:37):
Sitting down with some baileies.

Speaker 4 (10:39):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (10:42):
And uh, this is a big one, Lisa. But have
you got a message for New Zealand for twenty twenty five?

Speaker 4 (10:49):
Ooh, a message for New Zealand. I would think I
guess it's just be incredibly kind and compassionate over this
time and into twenty twenty five, just try do our
best to hold that compassion, hold compassion for others and
through the year.

Speaker 3 (11:10):
Well, thank you so much, Dame Lisa Carrington, thank you
for talking to us, and you have a fantastic Christmas.

Speaker 2 (11:16):
Merry Christmas.

Speaker 4 (11:16):
Thank you so much, you guys too.

Speaker 1 (11:19):
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