Is K4 500m boat at risk of failing to qualify for LA to defend Olympic gold?

(L-R) Dame Lisa Carrington, Tara Vaughan, Olivia Brett and Alicia Hoskin win gold in the women's K4 final at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Despite currently missing three members of the Olympic champion team, Canoe Racing New Zealand is confident a women's K4 500m crew will qualify for the LA 2028 Olympics to defend the gold medal.

Of the four paddlers who won gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Olivia Brett was the only one to compete at last month's sprint World Cup season openers.

In April, Dame Lisa Carrington announced her pregnancy but said the 2028 Olympics still remained her goal. She had initially planned to compete at the two regattas in May, but later withdrew on medical advice.

Olympic champions Alicia Hoskin and Tara Vaughan were also not available for last month's World Cups, which marked the start of the LA 2028 Olympics qualification cycle.