Dame Lisa Carrington prevailed in the decisive third and final race in the K1500 against world champion Aimee Fisher at the national canoe sprint championships at Lake Karapiro on Thursday.
Entering the race tied at a win a piece, Dame Lisa crossed ahead of her compatriot and rival by half a boat-length to clinch the NZ seat at the world championships in Canada in August.
The five-time Olympic champion led from the outset, maintaining an advantage throughout and holding off a late charge to put the finishing touches on an entertaining duel with Fisher.
After being edged by 0.8s in the first race on Saturday, Dame Lisa scraped home by 0.11s to square the ledger against world champion Fisher on Sunday to force a third contest.
Dame Lisa admitted she was "pretty nervous" before the race, which she compared to the intensity of some of her feats at pinnacle events.
"It was really tough," said Carrington. "Amy is such an awesome competitor.
"That race also means a lot to both of us and I think we both had to bring our 'A' game of what we had.
"If we're both there to push each other along it's only going to make both of us stronger."
Fisher was philosophical about her defeat in the immediate aftermath of the race, inisting she'd be much better for the experience.
"It's such a privilege to be part of a contest this intense," said Fisher. "I can't even describe how I felt before the race and all of the nerves and sleepless nights
"She's brought out the best in me. I think we bring out the best in each other out there
"It's a pretty epic battle. I'd say that series will be some of the best racing of the decade and we'll just see what happens over the next few years."
As per International Canoe Racing Federation rules, each country is allowed a maximum one entry per event for the event, which takes place at Novia Scotia, Canada in August.
Fisher won last year's world K1 500 title at Copenhagen, with Carrington bypassing the event, after her historic three gold-medal haul in the K1 500, K1 200 and the K2 500 at the Tokyo Olympics.
Fisher made herself unavailable for last year's Olympics, due to an ongoing disagreement with Canoe Racing NZ over athlete welfare.
