For the second consecutive year New Zealand’s Lisa Carrington has been voted by canoeing fans to have provided the highlight of the paddling season.

The two-time K1-200 Olympic champion continued her domination of the event by snaring her sixth consecutive world title. She also won three silver medals at the 2018 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships.

Carrington, who is strongly considering attempting an unprecedented four gold medals in Tokyo in 2020, has not been beaten in the K1-200 since 2011. She won gold in the event at the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Olympics.

The 29-year-old finished just ahead of fellow canoe sprint athlete Fernando Pimenta, who thrilled Portuguese fans by winning the K1 1000 and the K1 5000 in front of his home crowd at the 2018 World Championships in Montemor.

Paracanoeist Serhii Yemelianov caught the attention of the voting public with his defence of his KL3 world title in Montemor, the same event where the Ukranian won gold at the sport’s Paralympic debut in Rio in 2016.

Australians Jessica Fox and Curtis McGrath rounded out the top five. Fox had an outstanding canoe slalom season, winning both the women’s K1 and C1 world titles, and remaining undefeated in the latter for the entire year.

McGrath successfully defended his KL2 paracanoe world title in Montemor, and also won gold in the VL3, which will make its Paralympic debut in Tokyo next year.

Canoe sprint athletes dominated the 2018 top ten, which also featured competitors from canoe slalom, paracanoe and wildwater canoeing.

Carrington is eying off the K1 200, K1 500, K2 500 and K4 500 at next year’s Tokyo Olympics. It’s a grueling schedule which has not been attempted before, but the New Zealander has competed in all four events at the past two ICF World Championships.

2019 is set to be another big canoeing year, with world championships in canoe sprint, canoe slalom, paracanoe, wildwater, canoe freestyle, ocean racing and canoe marathon, as well as Olympic and Paralympic selection events.