A superb display by reigning world champion Aimee Fisher has denied Dame Lisa Carrington another K1 500m title at the national canoe sprint championships.

Fisher trailed in the early part of the race before hauling Carrington back in to win by just 0.08 of a second at Lake Karapiro on Saturday.

The race was the first of three between the two paddlers which would decide who would represent New Zealand at the 2022 World Championships in Canada in August.

An emotional Aimee Fisher wins the K1 500m final during the NZ Canoe Sprint Championships 2022 at Lake Karapiro in Waikato. Photo / Photosport.co.nz

Fisher, 27, claimed the K1 500m title at the 2021 World Champs in Copenhagen.

Carrington was not competing at the event as she prepared for last year's Olympics, where she won three gold medals.

The haul lifted her career tally to five Olympic golds and one bronze, making her New Zealand's most successful ever Olympian.