Reigning Olympic champions Denis Gargaud Chanut and Joseph Clarke have shown some of their best form since their gold medal-winning performances in Rio in 2016 to easily to easily top qualifying on the opening day of the second ICF Canoe Slalom World Cup in Krakow, Poland.

Frenchman Gargaud Chanut was more than two seconds quicker than the next fastest man on the course, Slovakia’s Marko Mirgorodsky, with last week’s world cup winner, German Sideris Tasiadis, third fastest in the men’s C1 qualifiers.

Gargaud Chanut posted a time of 81.96.

Clarke cruised down the course in 77.99 seconds in the men’s K1, putting him 1.14 seconds ahead of last week’s World Cup winner, German Sebastian Schubert, with 2017 World Cup overall champion Vit Prindis, of the Czech Republic, third.

In the women’s K1, Germany’s Ricarda Funk showed the form that made her almost unbeatable last year when she qualified quickest in 89.07, just ahead of Great Britain’s Mallory Franklin on 89.63.

Austria’s Corinna Kuhnle would have once again been quickest, if not for a gate touch which cost her a two-second penalty. Her final time of 90.21 was 1.14 seconds behind Funk.

In the women’s C1, it was Austria’s Viktoria Wolffhardt who topped the qualifying table in 94.47 seconds, with Brazil’s Ana Satila 1.27 seconds behind and Mallory Franklin in third.

The ICF Canoe Slalom World Cup finals will be held over the weekend.