Olympics-Canoe Sprint-Dominant Danuta wins second Rio gold
RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Hungarian kayaker Danuta Kozak fought off a fearsome pack of competitors to defend her Olympic title in the women's K-1 500 meters final on Thursday.
Kozak, 29, claimed the fifth Olympic medal of her career and her second gold of the Rio Games in one minute 52.49 seconds, 1.82 seconds faster than silver medallist Emma Jorgensen of Denmark.
New Zealand's Lisa Carrington, who won gold in the women's kayak single 200 meters on Tuesday, uncharacteristically struggled throughout the race.
Carrington, who languished behind much of the pack at halfway, battled back to claim bronze in the final stretch.
Thursday's field featured five different Olympic medal holders.
Maryna Litvinchuk, a member of Belarus' 2012 bronze medal-winning K-4 team, took fourth place and Germany's triple medalist Franziska Weber was fifth, while five-time Olympic medalist Inna Osipenko-Rodomska of Azerbaijan finished last.
Kozak, who also took gold in Tuesday's women's K-2 500 meters, will seek a rare triple gold in the sport, returning on Friday for the K-4 500 meters heat. (Reporting By Amy Tennery in Rio de Janeiro; Editing by Brian Homewood)
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