European Champion, Sarah Guyot (FRA) stepped up a gear in K1W 200m to secure gold ahead of top contenders in Rio at the Olympic test event, the Aquece Rio International Canoe Sprint Challenge.

The 24-year-old got off to a great start and managed to hold of a challenge from multiple-World Championship silver medallist, Marta Walczykiewicz (POL).

With some of the sports leading protagonists missing, Guyot was quick to point out that the level lived up to its test event status.

"It's not the same level as a as other international competitions, people are relaxed, it's a test event.

"Still, I had a good race, even if the level is lower."

Conscious that her recent outing in Milan at the World Championships was not as expected, Guyot continued, "The season was good, but when I turned up in Milan I didn't have the usual sensations, I have to think about this as I know I can be better."

Today she proved she is better than her eighth place in Milan would suggest, and will no doubt take confidence that she has won in Rio 11-months ahead of the Games. 

Following the women's final, Ignas Navakauskas (LTU) stopped-the-clock in the K1M 200m ahead of the double-World Champion, Mark De Jonge, and in doing so stepped on to an international podium for the first time. 

France's Maxime Beaumont collected the bronze edging out the 2013 World Champion, Petter Menning (SWE).

The Czech Republic continued their winning ways the men's canoe as their duo of Jaroslav Radon and Filip Dvorak (CZE) eased ahead of their Russian counterparts in a tight race that saw the top two split by less three-hundredths-of-a-second. 

Earlier Rene Poulsen and Jensen Boe went someway to make up for their early exit from the world championships in the K2M 1000m by winning gold ahead of Zoltan Kammerer and Tamas Szalai (HUN).

K1 200m Men

1^stIgnas Navakauskas (LTU)
2^ndMark de Jonge (CAN)
3^rdMaxime Beaumont (FRA)

K2 1000m Men

1^st Rene Poulsen and Jensen Boe (DEN)
2^ndZoltan Kammerer and Tamas Szalai (HUN)
3^rdErik Vlcek and Juraj Tarr (SVK) 

 C2 1000m Men

1^st    Jaroslav Radon and Filip Dvorak (CZE)
2^nd     Victor Melantyev and Vladislav Chebotar (RUS)
3^rd Peter Kretschmer and Michael Mueller (GER)

 K1 200m Women 

1^st    Sarah Guyot (FRA)
2^nd Marta Walczykiewicz (POL)
3^rdLinnea Stensils (SWE)