Reigning Paralympic champions Emma Wiggs of Great Britain, Curtis McGrath of Australia and Serhii Yemelianov of Ukraine were among those to impress in their opening heats.

Wiggs triumphed in the KL2 200 metres in a time of 51.048sec.

McGrath won his heat in the corresponding men's event in 44.383.

Yemelianov proved fastest in the heats of the KL3 200m in 41.051.

He should have a tough race in the final, however, as Britain's Robert Oliver won heat two in a swift 41.783.

All the heat winners qualified directly for the finals.

“It was really nice to get out on the course and get racing, the course is phenomenal and it’s brilliant to be in the spiritual home of canoeing,” said Wiggs.

“It’s been a really tough year, been a really hard winter, so we’re really looking to peak towards the end of the year, so this is a great stepping stone to give us an idea how much the brutal winter has made a difference.”

Competition will also begin tomorrow in the Olympic-class events.