Eight seems to be Lisa Carrington’s favourite number. New Zealand’s most decorated Olympian added three more Olympic titles to her name at Paris 2024 to bring up her gold medal tally to eight. 

After an extraordinary Games, the 35-year-old has donned a new avatar, unveiling her debut children’s picture book. 

Why eight? In the book, Carrington reconnects with her eight-year-old self to “tell a story about doing your best and not giving up”.  

Launching next week, the book is called ‘Lisa Carrington Chases a Champion’ along with the te reo Māori version ‘Ko Lisa Carrington me te Toa Whakaihuwaka’. 

“One of those ‘pinch me’ moments... I couldn’t be more excited to share my upcoming children’s book, Lisa Carrington Chases a Champion,” she wrote on Instagram. 

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Lisa Carrington (@liscarrington)

“Based on my eight-year-old self, this is a story about how chasing your dreams isn’t always straightforward; how persevering when things don’t go quite right is important and why being kind to yourself along the way is key.”  

The book launch is scheduled to be held at the Te Papa Museum in Wellington at 11.00 AM (local time) on August 31, with the star athlete signing copies and meeting fans. 

It was illustrated by Scott Pearson and published by Huia Publishers, with pre-orders open. 

“In this inspiring story about overcoming adversity and doing your best to achieve success, Dame Lisa Carrington includes practical strategies she uses in her career to maintain composure and build resilience,” Huia Publishers wrote on social media.  

“In this inspiring story about overcoming adversity and doing your best to achieve success, Dame Lisa Carrington includes practical strategies she uses in her career to maintain composure and build resilience." 

Picture by Huia Publishers.

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