New Zealand's Lisa Carrington has qualified fastest in the K1 200m canoe sprint to make the final at the London Olympics.
She won the first semifinal in an Olympic best time of 40.528 seconds at the Eton Dorney course on Friday.
After a textbook start, she pulled ahead by half way and stormed through ahead of Spaniard Teresa Portela Rivas. Nastasa Douchev-Janics from Hungary was third.
Earlier, Carrington won her heat in a time of 41.401s after a slow start.
Carrington, 23, is the world champion, having won in Szeged in Hungary in 2011 in a time of 39.998s, and is a strong medal contender.
The event is a new addition to the Olympic programme. The final will be held on Saturday.
