Aimee Fisher has put down a marker early in the World Cup season, claiming gold and silver across back-to-back sprint events in Hungary and Germany while paracanoeist Finn Murphy announced himself on the international stage with a silver medal finish.
The New Zealand team competed at consecutive ICF World Cup events in Szeged and Brandenburg over the past fortnight. Fisher’s week in Hungary proved bittersweet—she narrowly missed the top spot in the K1 500m, finishing in an exceptionally tight contest against Australian Natalia Drobot. Rather than dwell on second place, she returned the following week in Brandenburg with a different intensity. Racing through tricky paddling conditions, she powered to gold in the same event, leaving little doubt about her form heading into the season.
The more eye-catching result came from Murphy, competing in just his third international outing. The paracanoeist claimed silver in the KL3 200m after a deadheat decision with Brazil’s Miqueias Elias Rodriguez. Murphy’s path through the regatta showed composure beyond what you’d expect from someone early in their international career—he won his semifinal and placed second in his heat.
“Going into the A Final, I felt like I’d figured out the processes I needed to execute three good races,” Murphy said. “Looking back, I probably executed the semifinal even better than the final. My start wasn’t quite as clean, but by the 100m mark I knew where I stood relative to the guys beside me, and I was ahead of both of them.”
The real test came down the home stretch. “From there it was just a matter of holding on. With 50 metres to go it started to get really hard, but it’s amazing how, when you know you’re doing well, you can tap into an extra energy source.”
When the scoreboard confirmed his silver medal, Murphy’s emotion was genuine. “I was chuffed,” he said. “I felt like I’d executed the race well and I was stoked with how it went, but I’d definitely surprised myself.”
Peter Cowan finished fifth in the MVL3 200m at Brandenburg, while New Zealand’s K4 team and sprint single scullers competed across both venues with mixed results as the team settles into racing rhythm for 2025.
