New Zealand’s most decorated Olympian, Dame Lisa Carrington, and her husband Michael ‘Bucky’ Buck have welcomed their first child, a baby girl, announcing the birth on social media with a video accompanied by the song Rivers by Six60, 1News reported.
Welcoming a Newborn After a Historic Paris Campaign
The 37-year-old kayaker shared the news of her daughter’s arrival online, stating that she and her husband are “completely in love” with their newborn, according to 1News. The announcement follows a dominant performance at the Paris Olympics in 2024, where Carrington swept three events to bring her career gold medal count to eight.
nzherald.co.nz reported that Carrington captured gold in the K-1 500m, the K-2 500m alongside Alicia Hoskin, and the K-4 500m with Hoskin, Olivia Brett, and Tara Vaughan. That K-4 victory marked a career-first gold in the discipline for Carrington, cementing her status as New Zealand’s most successful Olympian.
| Olympic Games | Event | Medal |
|---|---|---|
| London 2012 | K-1 200m | Gold |
| Rio de Janeiro 2016 | K-1 200m / K-1 500m | Gold / Bronze |
| Tokyo 2020 | K-1 200m / K-1 500m / K-2 500m | Gold / Gold / Gold |
| Paris 2024 | K-1 500m / K-2 500m / K-4 500m | Gold / Gold / Gold |
Pregnancy Adjustments and Missing This Year’s World Championships
Carrington first revealed her pregnancy in April, describing the journey as a learning curve while expressing excitement for parenthood. “This is some of the greatest news I’ve ever shared … Bucky and I are expecting!” she wrote at the time, as noted by nzherald.co.nz.
Because of her pregnancy, Carrington ruled herself out of competing in this year’s world championships. RNZ reported that the couple chose not to find out ahead of the birth whether they were having a boy or a girl.
Targeting the LA 2028 Olympic Games Cycle
Despite stepping away from the immediate racing calendar to welcome her daughter, Carrington has maintained that her competitive career is far from over. Both 1News and nzherald.co.nz confirmed that the nine-time medallist is still targeting a return to elite competition with her sights set firmly on the LA 2028 Olympic Games.
Late last year, Carrington received one of the Olympic movement’s highest honours, the Association of National Olympic Committees Outstanding Sporting Career Award, as reported by RNZ. It remains unconfirmed when she will resume formal on-water training sessions ahead of the upcoming Olympic quadrennial trials.
