Action began today at the 2019 ICF Junior and Under-23 Wildwater World Championships in Banja Luka ©ICF

France had three fastest qualifiers for the individual sprint finals on day one of the International Canoe Federation Junior and Under-23 Wildwater World Championships in Banja Luka in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Clement Monjanel, Margot Beziat and Theo Viens led the way for the French in the men's junior kayak, women's junior canoe and men’s under-23 canoe events, respectively, at the Kayak Canoe Club "Vrbas".

Monjanel clocked 54.72sec, while Beziat posted 1:05.61 and Viens finished in 59.27.

Czech Republic also had two fastest qualifiers – Martina Satkova in the women’s under-23 kayak in 59.52 and Marie Nemcova in the women’s under-23 canoe in 1:03.05.

Today's three other standout individual performers were Italy’s Cecilia Panato, Slovenia’s Maj Ostrbenk and Switzerland's Luis Clavadetscher.

Panato topped the women’s junior kayak standings in 1:00.01, while Ostrbenk could not be matched in the men's junior canoe heats in 1:00.43.

Clavadetscher, meanwhile, set the pace in the men’s under-23 kayak in 55.39.

All finals are scheduled to take place tomorrow.