Carrington's victory with partner Caitlin Regal came after she also clinched gold earlier on Tuesday in the K1 200 metres, which she has now won at three successive Games.

In a red-hot field, Bull and Wood proudly finished just 1.627 seconds behind the flying Kiwis and 0.545 seconds off the bronze medal.

It improved on their Rio showing where they finished eighth.

Underlining her status as the world's greatest female paddler, Carrington has also won a bronze in Rio, and she still has two more medal chances in Tokyo.

The 32-year-old joined rower Hamish Bond as the only New Zealanders to win three gold medals in consecutive Games after the latter achieved the feat in the men's eight rowing event in Tokyo.

"It's been an amazing journey to this point," Carrington said.

"To be able to do something I thought was near impossible, to be able to want to go middle (distance) with Caitlin - it's a really nice cherry on the top."

In the men's K1 1000 metres, Australian youngster Tom Green finished seventh with Hungary finishing one-two on Tokyo's Sea Forest Waterway course.

Green was fourth at the halfway mark but was unable to go with the frontrunners.

World champion Balint Kopasz won gold, with teammate Adam Varga taking silver and Portugal's Fernando Pimenta in third.

At 22 years of age, Green has hardly competed on the international senior circuit, starved of racing due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mentored by three-time Olympic medallist Ken Wallace, Green will back-up with Jean van der Westhuyzen in the K2 1000m.

In the day's other medal race, Cuba's Serguey Torres Madrigal and Fernando Jorge Enriquez shocked the field to win gold in the men's 1000m double canoe.

Australian Associated Press