Kayak champion Lisa Carrington has been named Sportswoman of the Year at the Annual World Paddle Awards, held recently in Barcelona, Spain.

Organisers of the awards believe 'Lisa could well end up the greatest kayak sprinter ever”.

Lisa Carrington says being named the World Paddle Awards' Sport Woman of the Year is 'very special”. Watch Lisa's message below.

'Last year was unquestionably the landmark year-to date-in Lisa's sprint-paddling career; the 25-year old became double World Champion over 500 and 200m, defending her world 200m crown five-times since 2011, including being Olympic Champion in 2012 in London,” they say about Lisa.

'In the 2015 season, she won a blinding six golds both at the World Championships and World Cups respectively. To complement this, she also became the first New Zealand athlete to win the women's world K1 500m title with a winning time of 1.51 seconds over Hungary's Anna Karasz.” At the World Cup in Montemor, Portugal, Lisa took home double short-distance sprint golds; the K1W 200m in a staggering time of 39.524 seconds and the 500m in 1:48.016.

Lisa was the first woman from New Zealand to ever win a world championship race in the sport of 'canoe sprint'; she did so with gold in K1W 200m at Szeged in 2011.

Lisa has paddled doubles and fours, winning gold with fellow countrywoman Teaneale Hatton in K2W 1000m at the 2010 World Cup in Vichy, France and representing New Zealand at London 2012 in K2 500m with Erin Taylor in addition to the 200m.

Lisa could not attend the awards as she is busy training for the Rio Olympics but she was able to submit a video message.

'To be recognised internationally for kayaking for a sport as a whole is really special and I think it is something that we have been missing for a long time,” says Lisa.

'It's nice to be recognised and also to recognise all kayakers from all around the world.”

Lisa started paddling through surf lifesaving at the age of 16 and went on to win the national surfski title in 2011.

The winners of the Annual World Paddle Awards will receive The Golden Paddle, a symbol of how each discipline, even though different in sensation to many, requires a paddle used from a boat on water. The Golden Paddle is an emblem of what we have in common and depicts our mission to unite all people and paddlesports.

Born in Tauranga, Lisa was raised in Ohope Beach and is of Te Aitanga-a-Mahaki and Ngati Porou descent.

Lisa was chosen New Zealand's Māori Sportsperson of the year in November 2012, and senior Māori sportswoman of the year. Carrington was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2013 New Year's Honours, for her services to kayaking.