The world's best paddlers head to Montreal for the International Canoe Federation Canoe Sprint and Paracanoe World Cup on the 50-year anniversary since the Canadian city hosted the Olympic Games.
Held at the venue built for the 1976 Olympic Games, the historic Olympic Basin in Parc Jean-Drapeau will host athletes from 64 different countries from Thursday to Sunday.
Across four days of racing, 36 medals will be contested in Canoe Sprint and Paracanoe events, with valuable Olympic and Paralympic ranking points also on offer ahead of next month's World Championships in Poznan.
A total of 671 athletes will compete in Montreal as they continue their preparations for the season's flagship event.
Click here for the live start lists and results from Montreal
Olympic champion Katie Vincent leads the host team of 31 athletes, as Canada look to make the most of competing in front of home spectators.
After a difficult start to the season, Vincent is eager to bounce back on familiar waters and push for a spot in three potential finals.
"I didn't have the greatest start this year, but that can happen when you've been in the sport for a long time," said Vincent.
"We've had a really good few weeks, and racing at home in front of our friends and family, it gives you a little bit of an extra boost so I'm super excited just to see what we can do this week.
"We want to build off of this week, and work towards [the World Championships in] Poznan."
She is joined by double Paralympian Erica Scarff and two-time world champion Connor Fitzpatrick, while several of Canada's rising stars will make the step up to senior competition after an impressive Junior and U23 World Championships in Halifax last weekend.
Among them is Toshka Besharah, who arrives in Montreal fresh from winning gold in Halifax.
Peter Bradley and Eric Chouinard will also be hoping to build on their performances at the junior championships as they gain valuable senior experience and challenge for medals.
One of the standout battles of the weekend is expected in the men's kayak single 5000m, where Denmark's Mads Brandt Pedersen and Portugal's Fernando Pimenta renew their rivalry.
The pair have shared the spoils across their two World Cup meetings this season, each claiming one victory and one runner-up finish, setting up another intriguing contest in Montreal with gold and bragging rights on the line.
In the Paracanoe events, Great Britain's Emma Wiggs returns after claiming victory in Brandenburg and will look to defend her women's VL2 title.
She will be joined by teammate Charlotte Henshaw, who enjoyed a memorable campaign in Brandenburg with two gold medals, as the British squad aims to continue their strong run of form.
Great Britain's Hope Gordon will also be one to watch, as the paddler will soon represent Scotland at the Commonwealth Games in the coming weeks in powerlifting.
Gordon is not the only athlete on the start line who will be competing as a dual-sport athlete, as United States paddler Adam Wallace is a three-time Paralympic champion in sled hockey who began training in Paracanoe in 2019.
Both athletes will be unmissable as the action unfolds in Montreal.
Hungary, China and Germany also impressed in Brandenburg and will be among the nations targeting another successful World Cup.
The future of the sport will also be on display in Montreal, with five athletes born in 2010 or later set to compete against the world's elite, underlining the next generation of Canoe Sprint and Paracanoe talent.
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