Britain's Tim Baillie and Etienne Stott set the bar high, ranking in third place after their first run in the two-man canoe slalom.
The pairing posted a time of 100.44 seconds, without any penalties, enough to guarantee a place in the semi-final of the competion later in the week.
Stott, 31, from Bedford, and Baillie, 31, from Aberdeen, outshone their fellow Brits, David Florence and Richard Hounslow. who were left on the bubble after their first round of heats in tenth place.
It will be enough to qualify for the semi-finals should the remaining four teams fail to do better in their second run.
Florence, 29, from Aberdeen, and Hounslow, 30, from Loughton, Essex, should do better having incurred six penalties in their first run, with the top 10 teams out of 14 competitors due to qualify for the semi-finals on Thursday.
The lead after the first run was taken by the French crew of Gauthier Klauss and Matthieu Peche, who completed the 250 metre course in 96.98 seconds.
The three-time Olympic champions Pavol and Peter Hochschorner from Slovakia managed second place.
In the women's K1, Britain's Lizzie Neave guaranteed her place in the semi-finals with a clean run of 101.95 seconds, securing herself fourth place after the first run, with the top 15 of 21 making it through.
The lead after the first run was taken by the world number two, Spain's Maialen Chourraut, who recorded a time of 98.75 seconds.