The sports big names progressed comfortably through the opening rounds as the first day of action concluded at the 2016 ICF Canoe Sprint World Cup in Duisburg, Germany.
With Olympic champions such as Sebastian Brendel (GER) and Lisa Carrington (NZL) opening their 2016 campaigns on the famous German channel it was clear that the standard of competition was going to be world class.
The favourites looked comfortable in the K1M 1000m with Max Hoff (GER), Dejan Pajic (SRB), Aleh Yurenia (BLR) and René Holten Poulsen (DEN) each winning their respective semifinals.
Fernando Pimenta (POR) and Josef Dostál (CZE), the 2014 World Champion, also eased through comfortably.
Rising star Artuur Peters (BEL) came through as fastest third from the four semis and will also contest tomorrow's final.
In the C1M 1000m Brendel (GER) looked imperious as he aims to maintain his incredible unbeaten record since the 2013 World Championships. The talented Olympian eased through the semifinal in first to the joy on looking home support.
The German's main rival, Isaquias Queros Dos Santos (BRA) also showed impressive form and secured his spot next to Brendel in tomorrow's final in an equally impressive style.
Serghei Tarnovschi (MDA) won the third of the three semis, but will need to pick up the pace considerably if he is to rival the sports top two.
Olympic gold medallists Franziska Weber and Tina Dietze (GER) looked strong in their opening heat and progressed straight to the final in the K2W 500m.
They will face strong opposition from their teammates, Sabrina Hering and Steffi Kriegerstein, the Polish powerhouses Karolina Naja and Beata Mikolajczyk, amongst others.
Liam Heath and Jonathan Schofield (GBR), Saúl Cravitto and Cristian Toro (ESP), plus Sébastien Jouve and Maxime Beaumont (FRA) each won their respective semifinal in the K2M 200m.
For the Spanish pair it was a continuation of form following their successful campaign to secure their nation an Olympic quota at the European qualifiers earlier this week in the same class.
New Zealand secured two spots in the K1W 200m when Aimee Fisher joined Lisa Carrington – the sports dominant force and one everyone is hoping to beat.
Fisher is also part of her nations K4 crew that will make the trip to Rio later this year.
In other K1W 200m semifinals Inna Osipenko-Rodomska (AZE), the European Champion Sarah Guyot (FRA), and Anastasiia Todorova (UKR) each progressed in first place.
In addition, Poland’s Marta Walczykiewicz, who has often been Carrington’s main adversary, came through the qualifiers unscathed.
Katie Vincent flew the Canadian fag well in the absence of her illustrious colleague Larance Vencent-Lapointe (CAN) and comfortably qualified for the C1W 200m final a nearly two-seconds ahead of the next best time across the two semifinals.
Meanwhile, Eef Haaze (NED) and Ana Roxana Lehaci (AUT) were the fastest to qualify from the K1W 1000m semifinals and join Bulgaria's Dariya Baicheuskaya, Russia's Svetlana Chernigovskaya and Poland's Edyta Dzieniszewska who had earlier qualified directly from the heats.
Double World Champions, Max Rendschmidt and Marcus Gross (GER) look the team to beat in the K2M 1000m. Meanwhile top contenders, Kenny Wallace and Lachlan Tame (AUS) had an indifferent start to their season and bowed out in the first round.
The Brazilian duo of Erlon Souza Silva and Ronilson Matias De Oliveira set the field alight in the C2M 200m heats with an impressive time of 37.720.
They progressed straight to the final and look like their main opposition will come from Spain who won the second heat.
The action continues on Saturday at 8:40 CET with the 'A' finals starting at 12:32 CET.
