Walker has helped her find incremental improvements, kept adjusting the recipe without changing the overall strategy and found ways to stay fresh and relevant, across a timeframe that exceeded the usual maximum for elite sport coaching.
But beyond his role with Carrington, Walker also built a programme that is the envy of the kayaking world. It started from humble beginnings, as Walker noted on Sunday.
“We have things 1766432291 that no other nation has like the power blade, our GPS tracking system, our monitoring system,” said Walker.
“We’ve got a training programme which has been developed for 16 years, over and over again. We have some of the best support staff, that are world-leading in excellence and innovation.
“When I started, we didn’t have any of that.
“No designated physio, no designated strength and conditioning person, no this, no that. No company cars, no phones, no laptops, no office, no GPS … it just goes on and on.”
Additionally, Walker has built the overall performance plan, drilling down into all the elements of winning on the global stage.
He has a unique understanding of the factors that drive peak performance; mental, physical, emotional and interpersonal.
That paid off spectacularly with the development of the women’s K4 crew, a scratch team including two young kayakers, who took out the 2023 World Championships before their spectacular Olympic triumph in Paris.
Lisa Carrington and Alicia Hoskin after their K2 500m truimph in Paris.
Much of Walker’s skillset is transferable to other sports – and that is what HPSNZ needs to consider.
Walker has no desire to go overseas, especially with three teenage children, and enjoys his life here.
But there is no doubt there will be enquiries from the big kayaking nations – Hungary, Spain, Germany, Poland, Belarus – and even other Olympic federations, who have noted his work – and anyone’s head can be turned.
But ideally, Walker’s intellectual property will be kept on these shores, so he can contribute to the 2028 Olympics campaign and beyond.
For CRNZ, it will be a tricky time. Walker leaves a considerable void, while former head of performance Nathan Luce, who finished in November, was also a massive contributor to the Tokyo and Paris success.
They will both be difficult to replace over this cycle.
However, incumbent women’s coach Chris Mehak is highly rated and has served an apprenticeship under Walker, while most other key staff remain in place.
Walker is unsure of his next move, mainly focused on finishing his CRNZ tenure – into early 2026 – strongly and then having a break.
“With the intensity of it, stepping into something else straight away would be difficult,” said Walker.
“But I am still really passionate about performance in sport and I’m sure that something will emerge and I’m excited for that too.”
Dame Lisa Carrington and Gordon Walker.
Whatever happens, Walker will never forget the journey of the last 16 years, highlighted by the campaigns in London, Rio, Tokyo and Paris.
“In those early regattas, I would definitely be feeling the incredible tension and the energy that that has,” said Walker.
“But with the Olympics, they were all different. London was the naivety of it – it was pretty amazing – ‘look, we won’. Rio was a different feeling again, different pressure, and then Tokyo is completely unique because of the Covid thing with no crowds. And Paris was special in itself.”
Perhaps most of all, Walker will always recall the day in, day out association with Carrington, as she has progressed from a young, relatively unknown paddler in 2010 to one of our most famous athletes and an Olympic legend.
“When I first talked to her about [retirement], I did say that this isn’t the conversation I thought I’d ever be having,” said Walker.
“Like in a dream world, I would like to go right through the end of the career with her, but this is life.”
His favourite memory of Carrington is her commitment to excellence on a daily basis.
“Her training sessions are extraordinary,” said Walker.
“Some of her sessions before Paris were just phenomenal. She broke the world record in training more than once and in multiple boats.
“Her racing was amazing too and in Paris they were absolutely perfect. It’s hard to think we actually did that when it mattered. But I probably remember the training sessions and the off-the-water moments, the conversations we’ve had, more than the races.”
Michael Burgess has been a sports journalist for the NZ Herald since 2005, covering the Olympics, Fifa World Cups, and America’s Cup campaigns. He is a co-host of the Big League podcast.